The War On Planned Parenthood In America
The war on Planned Parenthood is currently taking over social media and affecting millions of women in today’s society. Trump’s administrative policy is restricting women’s rights to obtain abortions and closing Planned Parenthood clinics all together. This political issue stems from the illegalization and the inconsistency of laws regarding the practice of abortions across different states. As a result, the government is making it nearly impossible for women to access and obtain various forms of contraception. Two clinics in Cincinnati, Ohio will be some of the first to shut down due to the Trumps’ administrative policy. These clinics do not provide abortion services but instead give referrals to these women, receive mammograms, provides health advice, etc.. This is a perfect example that showcases how a governmental policy is deciding what is right and wrong for women thus further limiting their freedom. As a result of Trump’s plans to reduce federal funding to these services, the providers of these services are becoming scarce. Before these new laws were implemented, women were able to get abortions and planned parenthood was easily accessible. Women could get abortions easier and planned parenthood was heavily granted.
This is a social justice issue because women are being stripped of their privileges and freedom to do as they will with their own bodies. Women should have the ability to decide on their own if they would like to have the baby or not, once they realize they are pregnant. This decision is a personal one that no woman should have to explain or fight for. A massive debate on this issue is that the Trump administrative policy states that our tax money should not go towards something “unnatural”. How is this fair towards women, when millions of tax dollars go towards male enhancement pills? Is that not unnatural? If tax dollars cannot go towards something so unnatural as women receiving abortions, then why are not the same restrictions being placed on men? This is an act of oppression on women, taking control of their rights to decide if they’re ready for parenthood or not. Women feel like their basic rights are being taking away and causing an uproar in the way women are feeling in today’s economy.
The National Association of Social Work (NASW), disagrees with the war on planned parenthood. Title X is one of the main funding sources for planned parenthood, it helps over four million low income women and men each year. Sixty percent of these women who receive health care related services from Title X use them as their primary providers. If Trump decreases these funds, the NASAW will no longer be able to provide Title X services for low-income men and women. It will eventually lead to the closing of planned parenthood for good. The National Association of Social Work supports the right for women to seek and obtain a medically safe abortion for woman who are not seeking children. If abortion clinics get defunded and are no longer provided, this could lead to women to seek abortions “under the table”. Without the right medical education, supplies, or experience, these services could be a great risk for women’s health.
The NASW also opposes to erase the restrictions being placed on women who want abortions, for example, such as waiting for a specific period of time. Giving the woman “time to change her mind” or making her wait until it is inhumane to abort a child after its too far along. They also do not support counseling services that are often provided to women during situations like these. These are all small blockades placed on women preventing them from choosing what they want to do for their own personal reasons. NASW again disagrees with funding restrictions on not only abortions, but any other birth control. The lack of federal funding not only affects low-income women and men, but also the people who are employed in these clinics. It could cause less hours, pay cuts, or losing their jobs all together.
As an advocate, social workers should educate women on current events. In this position, social workers will write letters to congress, legislators, and local governments to express their feelings and how women are feeling. They can also protest, give speeches, or be a voice for the women and men who may need one. Some social workers work as legislators and have a strong hand in changing policies, granting certain funding towards planned parenthood, and making sure their opinions are being heard. Social workers aren’t the only ones who can make a change for this movement. Any concerned citizen can make a step for change. Being concerned is the first step, after that, they can start finding active engagements to change the political process. Again, protests, letters, speeches, or just attending these events to help show support. The more people, the greater the movement can be! One person can be the beginning of a beautiful change.
This current event has millions of people disagreeing on what to do in our society. Everyone’s opinions are different, but it is better to look at what is really happening. Taking away the funding for planned parenthood can affect women’s health, not just physically, but also mentally. It can affect their finances, their families, and what may be caused by an unwanted child. This would close resources for women who may not be able to afford health insurance and close clinics that provide medical information. Women deserve the right to choose what they want to do with their bodies, it shouldn’t be a question to why this is a social issue in our society today.
