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Family Planning Does Make a Difference
I was reading through some old comments that I had received on various posts and found one that asked me if I realized that "'family planning services' is a euphemism for 'pushing abortion.'"
Actually, I don't realize that because that statement is wrong. Let me quote a few facts from the article "International Family Planning Makes a World of Difference" from Planned Parenthood's website:
- Each year, more than 585,000 women die, at least one woman every minute of every day, due to pregnancy-related causes (USAID, 1999a).
- Family planning alone can reduce maternal mortality by 25 percent by reducing the number of high-risk pregnancies, those that are spaced too closely or occur too early or too late in a woman’s life (USAID, 1999a).
- In Thailand an expanded HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Program led to a 90 percent decrease, from 1988–1995, in the number of men attending government clinics for STI treatment (USAID, 1999c).
- In Russia, because of limited contraceptive availability, abortion has been used as the major method of birth control. However, the recent increased availability of modern family planning methods has already resulted in a greater than one-third drop in the abortion rate (USAID, 1999a).
- The introduction of modern contraception in Hungary coincided with a 60 percent reduction in abortions. Similar results can be seen in Chile, Colombia, Mexico, South Korea, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine (USAID, 1999a).
- Family planning is crucial to women’s achieving higher status, health care and nutrition equal to men, and full participation in their country’s economic and political institutions (UNFPA, 1997).
- Slowing population growth helps poorer countries develop politically and economically, which reduces human suffering due to poverty, malnutrition, and disease (USAID, 1999a; Upadhyay & Robey, 1999).
So you see, family planning services are not about "pushing abortions." When I lost my insurance I went to Planned Parenthood and got my annual exam for $20. If I would have gone to my regular OB-GYN without insurance: $300+. No one tried to give me tracts about how great abortions are and, if I ever got pregnant, how I should rush back and have an abortion.
Family planning helps people live better, healthier lives. Family planning tries to break the cycle of poverty and hopelessness that people become trapped in. Hell, family planning helps make a dent in the abortion rate. There is no hidden agenda. There are no people that rub their hands together with glee at the thought that they will get to perform an abortion today. Family planning is simply about trying to making the best situations possible for people.
.: Posted July 25, 2002 01:48 PM in Fish Tales, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :."..."
Comments
Family planning also helps to plan a family, not just to prevent a family. It is just more reasonable for a family to be planned.
.: Jessica said on July 25, 2002 03:21 PM :: link it :.This was a really well writen post - definitely eye opening. I mean, I'm not against family planning. I'm not really against abortions. But coming from a churchy upbringing, I don't necessarily know as much about these issues as I think I should. Now I feel like I know more. :) Thanks darlin'! And thanks for chatting earlier - it sure was nice and made me feel happy :)
.: kristine said on July 25, 2002 03:58 PM :: link it :.Growing up in a Catholic church, they actually did "Family Planning" seminars even - informing people about how women's cycles work, when you are most likely to get pregnant, etc.
I've been to Planned Parenthood before, and they were happy to discuss all the options available - both for contraception options and for when you got pregnant.
And I agree 100% that the term itself has nothing to do with abortion - it is all about planning, whether you are trying to avoid getting pregnant or you are trying to get pregnant.
.: Christine said on July 25, 2002 04:34 PM :: link it :.I'll believe Planned Parenthood is a "family planning" agency when they start making referrals to adoption agencies. Anything about that on the Planned Parenthood website? I can't find it.
The only option Planned Parenthood presents to a woman with a "crisis pregnancy" is abortion. They're the number one abortion provider in the country.
Jason? Dude? When was the last time that YOU went to Planned Parenthood with a crisis pregnancy? Sorry, I've been there. I've driven people there. And NO - they DID NOT push abortion as the only option.
You know, maybe it would be wise for you to NOT read the blogs of someone that is very pro-choice? Yeahhhhh...
.: Christine said on July 26, 2002 10:11 AM :: link it :.PS - Jason - Did you even READ this post? Or did you just jump right in on the abortion thing? Because the post was about Family PLANNING. PRE-pregnancy. You know, helping women to avoid getting knocked up. No babies to abort. THAT is the point.
*shakes head and walks away*
.: Christine said on July 26, 2002 10:24 AM :: link it :.My point is that I don't trust your source. Planned Barrenhood pushes abortion, not family planning.
Jason? When was the last time *YOU* had an exam at Planned Parenthood? Did YOU go there to get condoms or birth control pills when you were too poor to afford paying $60 a month for them? Did you get an exam that helped diagnose a bigger problem like an ovarian cyst? Did you find out how to prevent STDs there?
I should add to this note that I am VERY Pro-Life personally, but *I* have benefitted from the MANY services that Planned Parenthood offers, and abortion was NOT one of them. On the other hand, I doubt that YOU have ever taken a moment to look and see the numerous services they offer and the valuable things they have helped advance in the realm of family PLANNING in the past century. They did name it PLANNED Parenthood for a reason. The option to prevent pregnancies is a necessary one for many people. If someone has the ability to prevent an unwanted pregnancy before it ever happens, that's one less abortion. (I think THAT is a good thing.)
.: Christine said on July 26, 2002 12:04 PM :: link it :.I've been getting services from PP for almost ten years, because in all that time I hadn't had health insurance. Once, many years ago, I had a pregnancy scare and went there for a test, and they had a stack of brochures from a crisis pregnancy center (religious anti-abortion agency) and a stack of brochures about how to go about giving a baby up for adoption along with the literature regarding abortion.
now i'm not sure all centers are like that, but there it is.
besides, even if they do provide abortions -- which may not be moral, but is legal -- they also provide birth control to millions more women. Wouldn't you rather see an unplanned pregnancy not happen than have to see any difficult choice made?
.: sarah said on July 28, 2002 09:45 AM :: link it :.You're too early! Come back at July 25, 2002 01:48 PM to see this post.
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