Dear Next President,

Funding Planned Parenthood is an extremely large government issue right now and it is rather controversial. Many people believe that Planned Parenthood should not be funded by the government because they have conservative views regarding choice about pregnancy and the health of women. Not only does this crucial organization provide birth control to it’s visitors, but it provides health screenings, information about sexual health, and advice regarding body image and relationships. In addition, Planned Parenthood provides for  men’s sexual health, which is of great importance as well. I believe that it is extremely important to our society that Planned Parenthood continues to be funded by the government.

Many citizens are under the impression that this organization only funds abortions. However, these people are wrongly informed. I am fully aware that many members of society are either strongly “pro-choice” or “ pro-life” when it comes to the subject of abortion and they want to stop the funding of Planned Parenthood because they believe it is solely about funding abortions. As a matter of fact, only 3% of Planned Parenthood services are abortion-related. They have a whooping 45% services covering STD/STI testing and treatment, 34% contraception, 9% cancer screening, 11% other women’s services, and 1% other services, according to Planned Parenthood’s main site.

These Planned Parenthood percentages translate to over 4 million sexually transmitted tests and treatment, more than 360,000 breast exams, 270,000 plus Pap tests, and birth control being provided for 2.1 million people. As you can see, when the people of America associate “Planned Parenthood” with “abortion,” they are simply incorrect and need to get their facts straight.

Research proves that Planned Parenthood is having a positive effect on our society, reducing the number of unplanned pregnancies, preventing cancer deaths, and increasing the knowledge of the overall population regarding sexual health. Specifically, birth control has reduced teen pregnancy by 86% and prevented 2.2 million unintended pregnancies nationwide. Cervical and breast cancer screenings allow for women to get checked even if they believe they are not at risk.

Nevertheless, Planned Parenthood provides many services for men. Some of these services may include checkups for reproductive or sexual health problems, as well as colon, prostate, and testicular cancer screenings. This organization also provides condoms, exams, treatment, and referral and offers education on various topics. Although more women use the Planned Parenthood facilities than men, they organization has its doors open to anyone, offering care at all times.

If the government stopped funding Planned Parenthood, then close to 400,000 women and men would lose access to the services provided by this organization. This is why I urge you to maintain funding for Planned Parent Hood. The American people depend on it, and they depend on you to keep it running.