Extreme politicians, led by Vice President Mike Pence and Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, want to assert control over women in all aspects of life including choices made about their bodies. They are attempting to execute this mission by demolishing Planned Parenthood with the main approach of pushing legislation defunding Planned Parenthood. This wording is misleading because defunding Planned Parenthood would, in turn, trigger shutdowns of their facilities. This would have countless negative consequences for the population as a whole, especially women.

 People are failing to recognize the importance of Planned Parenthood and the crucial role it plays in society. Planned Parenthood is the nation’s leading reproductive health care provider and advocate. Its health centers provide health care to 2.4 million people a year. Planned Parenthood offers a number of high-quality, affordable health care services, including cancer screenings/methods of prevention, contraception, STD testing and treatment, abortion services, adoption referrals, pregnancy tests, counseling, prenatal services, and the list goes on.

 Junior Makailah Black expressed her feeling on the matter: “I feel that the defunding will negatively impact women. It limits their methods of prevention and care, and they have not consented to their voices being silenced. I believe that it is another ploy organized by men in power to gain control over women’s bodies and right of choice.” I could not agree more. This has come directly from insecure men that wish to control the choices women make about their bodies. This is absolutely not okay. As a pro-choice advocate I support women in making their own choices regarding their bodies and lives.

 Defunding Planned Parenthood really means blocking patients who depend on public health care programs, like Medicaid and Title X, from getting the care they need. Approximately sixty percent of Planned Parenthood patients rely on these programs to access care. If Planned Parenthood health centers are shut down, many of these patients are left with no other options. Many Planned Parenthood health centers are located in counties with no other health care providers who serve patients who rely on safety-net providers.

 A popular belief held by bystanders is that if Congress succeeds in defunding Planned Parenthood, these patients will be picked up by other healthcare providers; this is not true. There are not enough reproductive health care providers to pick up the slack that will be left. Per year, Planned Parenthood health centers provide birth control for nearly two million people, over 4 million STD tests and treatments, 320,000 breast exams, 295,000 Pap tests, and prevent at least 579,000 unintended pregnancies.

 For those who stand with Vice President Pence, defunding Planned Parenthood will have a negative effect on you as well, which is something to consider. Barring Planned Parenthood health centers from Medicaid would result in a net cost of $130 million to taxpayers over ten years due to increased unintended pregnancies without Planned Parenthood’s contraceptive care. Mike Pence, and other anti-abortion politicians, target Planned Parenthood because they provide abortion services. However, it is a federal law that patients cannot use federal funding for an abortion, with the exception of cases of rape, incest, or when the life of the woman is at risk. The way in which federal tax dollars support Planned Parenthood has been greatly misconstrued. Planned Parenthood is paid through Medicaid reimbursements. Medicaid then sends a bill to the federal government.

 Do not let Congress take away reproductive health care rights from women. Visit www.istandwithpp.org for more information and learn how to take action. #IStandWithPP, do you?