Planned Parenthood - Misplaced Pages

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Revision as of 22:13, 8 January 2007 by Professor marginalia (talk | contribs) (→Controversy and criticism: Change deadend wikilink to weblink)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) This article is about Planned Parenthood Federation of America. For the international organization, see International Planned Parenthood Federation.

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Planned Parenthood's Logo

Planned Parenthood is the collective name of organizations worldwide who are members of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF). The Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) is the U.S. affiliate of IPPF, and one of its larger members. PPFA provides both reproductive health and maternal and child health services. The organization's status as the United States' leading provider of surgical abortions has put it in the forefront of the US national debate over that issue. Planned Parenthood in the USA is also a vocal political advocate of pro-choice positions, comprehensive sex education, and open expression of sexuality.

Facilities and funding

PPFA are a federation of 120 independent Planned Parenthood affiliates around the United States. These affiliates together operate nearly 850 locations, offering a variety of services to more than 5 million women, men and teens each year. Services include contraceptive (birth control) services; emergency contraception; screening for breast, cervical and testicular cancers; pregnancy testing and pregnancy options counseling; abortion services; testing and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases; sexuality education, menopause treatments; vasectomies and tubal ligations, and more. Not all services are available at all locations.

According to a recent statement from Karen Pearl, recent past interim president of PPFA, Planned Parenthood is the "largest source of reproductive health care in the (United States)". In 2003, Planned Parenthood provided 244,628 surgical abortions, the largest of any abortion provider in the U.S.

Planned Parenthood receives almost a third of its money in government grants and contracts ($265.2 million in FY 2004). It received $306.2 million in clinic income that year, $191 million in private contributions and bequests, $40 million in other income and $7.6 million from the Alan Guttmacher Institute for a total of $810 million.

Organizations such as the American Life League, who morally disagree with Planned Parenthood's mission and services, have set up campaigns and petitions to stop Planned Parenthood from receiving government funding.

History and organization

Planned Parenthood began as the National Birth Control League, which was founded in 1916 under the leadership of Mary Ware Dennett. The organization was later renamed the American Birth Control League under the direction of Margaret Sanger. The League was influential in liberalizing laws against birth control throughout the 1920s and 1930s before changing its name to Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. in 1942.

The founding of Planned Parenthood is most specifically associated with Margaret Sanger, a birth control and family planning advocate jailed numerous times for breaking New York's Comstock Laws against disseminating birth control information. Sanger had fled to England to avoid arrest at the time the National Birth Control League was founded by her friend Dennett. She was a socialist and an advocate of the availability of birth control to all women, regardless of race or social class. Sanger also supported some aspects of eugenics, a popular movement at the time.

Faye Wattleton was President of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America from 1978 to 1992. She was the youngest person and first African American appointed to that position in the organization's history, and the second woman to hold the office (founder Margaret Sanger was the first). During her term in office, the organization considerably expanded its services, and became publicly visible in working for women's reproductive rights.

On February 15, 2006, Cecile Richards, daughter of former Texas governor Ann Richards, became president of the organization.

Stand on political and legal issues

Planned Parenthood has been an advocate of birth control and legalized abortion since the 1940s. This advocacy includes contributing to sponsorship of abortion rights and women's rights events and assisting in the testing of new contraceptives. The group opposes restrictions on abortion, including:

laws requiring parental consent or notification for girls under the age of 18 (or 17 in some states) to have an abortion
laws requiring an ultrasound before abortion (many Planned Parenthood clinics perform, but do not require, ultrasounds)
laws requiring a waiting period (ranging from a couple of hours to a day or more)

Planned Parenthood argues for the wide availability of emergency contraception (EC) measures, and opposes so-called conscience clauses which sanction pharmacists' refusal to provide FDA-approved contraceptive medication. Planned Parenthood has also been critical of hospitals which they claim obstruct access to EC for rape victims. Planned Parenthood supports and provides FDA-approved abortifacients such as Mifepristone.

Planned Parenthood also opposes abstinence-only education in public schools. Instead, it favors (and offers) comprehensive sex education, which includes discussion of both abstinence and birth control.

Controversy and criticism

Pro-life advocates regularly picket and protest Planned Parenthood facilities because of the organization's status as the largest abortion provider in the world.

In August 2005, Planned Parenthood Golden Gate of San Francisco, California released an animated short on its website. The cartoon featured a superhero character who submersed an abstinence proponent, portrayed as a mustachioed villain, in a vat of personal lubricant, and used giant condoms to blow up sign-carrying zombies intended to represent pro-life activists. The link from its main page was removed without comment after criticism by pro-life groups.

Planned Parenthood has been accused in several cases of agreeing not to report cases of rape to the authorities. It has received criticism for withholding court-subpoenaed medical records of clients in these and other cases, but defends its actions on the grounds of medical privacy. Cases in Indiana and Kansas remain unresolved. In October 2005, Planned Parenthood Minnesota/North Dakota/South Dakota was fined $50,000 for violation of a Minnesota state parental notification law.

Planned Parenthood Golden Gate again drew criticism from Decisions International in March 2006 when it launched its "Tell-a-Friend" ad campaign. LDI organizers claims that the program, which promises free movie tickets to clients who refer others to Planned Parenthood, is targeted at young people.

Planned Parenthood and the US Supreme Court

Planned Parenthood regional chapters have been active in the American courts. A number of cases in which Planned Parenthood has been a party have reached the Supreme Court of the United States.

Notable among these cases is the 1992 case Planned Parenthood v. Casey, where Planned Parenthood is the Southeast Pennsylvania Chapter, and Casey is the late Robert Casey, who was a pro-life Democratic Governor of Pennsylvania.

The ultimate ruling was a split plurality, in which Roe v. Wade was upheld in an opinion written by Justices Anthony Kennedy, Sandra Day O'Connor, and David Souter, all of whom were Republican appointees to the High Court, with Justices Harry Blackmun and John Paul Stevens (also Republican appointees) concurring with the main decision in separately written opinions. The High Court also struck down spousal consent requirements for married women to obtain abortions.

Dissenting were Justices William Rehnquist, Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas, and Byron White, all of whom were Republican appointees except for Justice White. Justices Blackmun, Rehnquist, and White were the only justices who voted on the original Roe v. Wade decision in 1973 who were still on the High Court to rule on this case, and their votes on this case were consistent with their votes on the original decision that legalized abortion.

Other notable cases

January 2006: Ayotte v. Planned Parenthood of Northern New England. This relates to a constitutionality challenge by Planned Parenthood et al. of a 2003 New Hampshire parental notification law related to access to abortion. In Sandra Day O'Connor's final decision before retirement, the Supreme Court sent the case back to lower courts with instructions to seek a remedy short of wholesale invalidation of the statute.
July 1976: Planned Parenthood of Central Missouri v. Danforth. This was a constitutionality challenge by Planned Parenthood to a Missouri law encompassing parental consent, spousal consent, clinic bookkeeping and allowed abortion methods. Portions of the challenged law were held to be constitutional, others not.
1983: Planned Parenthood Association of Kansas City v. Ashcroft. This was a constitutionality challenge by Planned Parenthood to a Missouri law encompassing parental consent, clinic record keeping, and hospitalization requirements. Most of the challenged law was held to be constitutional. .