Running head: Analysis of Planned Parenthood
1
Planned Parenthood
Jessica Barrett
Idaho State University
Analysis of Planned Parenthood
2
One social issue in the United States is women’s health and access to services. Planned
Parenthood is an organization that is dedicated to protecting and providing women’s health
services. Planned Parenthood’s web page outlines their mission and goals:
Planned Parenthood delivers vital reproductive health care, sex education, and
information to millions of women, men, and young people worldwide. For nearly 100
years, Planned Parenthood has promoted a commonsense approach to women’s health
and well-being, based on respect for each individual’s right to make informed,
independent decisions about health, sex, and family planning (Planned Parenthood Who
We Are).
Planned Parenthood offers a wide range of services. Some of those services are very
controversial. In this analysis I will discuss power imbalances that pertain to Planned
Parenthood, the issue from multiple perspectives’, and the public opinion’s and reactions to
Planned Parenthood.
Planned Parenthood is a federal, state, and private funded organization. The organization
has had a large struggle to maintain funding in the past couple of years due to the controversial
services they provide. Planned Parenthood has been banned by law from using government funds
to provide abortions (Ross). Because of this Planned Parenthood uses other funding to cover the
costs of these services. Many believe that if Planned Parenthood were to be defunded the funding
would be allocated to other health service providers, in turn, allowing the funding to still be used
to help women access health care services. The problem is that there would be no guarantee that
the funding would be used to provide health services to women and their specific health needs.
“Sara Rosenbaum, a professor of health law and policy at George Washington University
(GWU), said that defunding Planned Parenthood would create a health-care crisis for millions of
Analysis of Planned Parenthood
3
women” (Devi).
Planned Parenthood has a very specific mission. Their goals, as stated above,
