Dear Future President,

As you know, Planned Parenthood is a source of health care that provides reproductive health care and health care in general, to nearly five million women worldwide. Planned Parenthood is VITAL to many women and their families. However, citizens are still questioning whether or not Planned Parenthood should be funded by the government, this is where you come in. When most people think about Planned Parenthood, they jump right to abortion services and take a side; either pro-life or pro-choice. Our country needs to know what Planned Parenthood is all about, the services they provide, and they need to stop being labeled as ‘murderers’. Not everyone knows that abortion services only make up 3% of Planned Parenthood. Not everyone knows that Planned Parenthood provides not only abortion services but also STI/STD treatment and testing, contraception to prevent unplanned pregnancies, and cancer screenings to prevent cancer and the spread of it. You need to educate the American people and make them realize how important this program is, shed light on what Planned Parenthood really does for women and families. If Planned Parenthood is left unfunded, 25% of patients, won't only be out of reproductive health care, but just health care in general. About 390,000 women use Planned Parenthood as their ONLY source of health care. Where will these women go if we stop funding Planned Parenthood? What about their families? This leads me into the perspective of those who oppose funding Planned Parenthood. Besides believing that “innocent lives are being lost”, do they know how many people depend on Planned Parenthood for ALL of their services? Many times, the argument is made that abortion services are mainly provided for the tons of money they’re supposedly making off of it. Or, that it’s very unsafe and needs to be put to a stop. You, as the President of the United States, need to address these issues. You need to show the American people that Planned Parenthood isn't just providing abortion services for the “millions of dollars” they're apparently making off of it, but for the sake of helping women in need. You need to ensure that the produce is safe - trained professionals are doing these procedures, carefully and thoughtfully. Most importantly, you need to stress the importance of the program itself. We need to shift from the topic of abortion services to what the program is as a whole, and what will realistically happen if Planned Parenthood's funding is discontinued and shut down.

Sincerely, Ava F.