The name Planned Parenthood brings a negative connotation that sparks contentious national debate, leaving a nation divided over two distinctly different ideals: choice or life.
Today, Planned Parenthood will stand before the House Judiciary Committee to make its case before Congress as to whether the organization should be allowed to maintain its federal funding.
Despite local and national unrest over the release of the ninth sting video by an anti-abortion group, forensic experts found the footage was heavily edited and missing minutes of recordings, according to Politico. These videos are nothing more than an effort to further a conservative agenda that promotes governmental control over women’s bodies.
In a court filing, the Department of Justice said Gov. Bobby Jindal’s plan to cut funding for Planned Parenthood violates federal law, as it prevents Medicaid patients from choosing their health care provider.
This proves Jindal’s statements and actions are nothing more than political grandstanding. His attempts to defund the organization do nothing to prevent abortion, but they do violate women’s rights and limit health care for those who need it most — Medicaid patients.
Planned Parenthood has been in Louisiana for more than 30 years and has never performed a single abortion, according to Jewel Bush, the communications manager for Planned Parenthood. The majority of the services provided include wellness visits, cancer and STD screenings and family planning.
Louisiana has the highest rates of gonorrhea and chlamydia, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and ranks third in syphilis and HIV ratings. Baton Rouge and New Orleans top the list with the highest HIV infection rates in the country.
Since Hurricane Katrina in 2005, New Orleans continues to lack health care options. A recent survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation found 64 percent of residents say there are not enough health care services available for uninsured and low-income residents.
“Planned Parenthood saves lives,” said Planned Parenthood State Director Melissa Flournoy in a statement. “We are fighting this case because we fear some women’s cancers will get worse before being diagnosed and that HIV and sexually transmitted infections will continue to spread without the medical care Planned Parenthood provides.”
Federal funds are not permitted to be used to pay for abortions. The funding is allocated between STD screenings, gynecological exams, contraception and other wellness services for low-income patients.
Flournoy said in the statement that patients may have to wait weeks or even months for screenings for potentially life-threatening diseases, if they can be seen at all because of the lack of Medicaid providers in Louisiana.
“If the court does not step in, more than 5,200 Planned Parenthood patients who access health care through Louisiana’s Medicaid programs could lose access to their trusted health care provider,” Flournoy said in the statement.
It is not the business of the government to tell women where they can get their Pap tests done. Jindal is taking every opportunity to speak out against an organization that helps thousands of women across the state access health care they would not otherwise be able to. Not only is it irresponsible, it is against federal law — something our governor would know if he wasn’t so busy making a haphazard attempt at running the country.
Planned Parenthood may perform procedures some consider controversial, but the organization does a great deal to keep women, men and children healthy and happy.
The organization’s promotion of wellness and safety also extends to Planned Parenthood’s student organization here on campus, Planned Parenthood Generation Action.
The group regularly distributes condoms every Friday. On Sept. 4, they distributed 650 within 45 minutes in Tigerland for “Free Condom Friday,” according to the group’s past president adviser Noah Bryant Ballard.
Whether you agree with the group’s practices, the organization provides high-quality, affordable health care services to Louisiana citizens, as it has done for more than 30 years. It will continue to do as long as the government steers clear of a woman’s right to choose — not only her health care provider, but what happens to her body.
Mariah Manuel is a 22-year-old mass communication senior from Lake Charles, Louisiana. You can reach her on Twitter @mariah_manuel.