Everything about Planned Parenthood totally explained
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
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 national debate over that issue. Planned Parenthood Action Fund, Inc. (PPAF) is a related organization that lobbies the U.S. political system for
pro-choice legislation, comprehensive
sex education, and access to affordable
health care.
Facilities and funding
PPFA is a federation of 120 independent Planned Parenthood affiliates around the United States. These affiliates together operate 860 locations, offering a variety of services to more than five million women, men and teens each year. Services include
abortion services, contraceptive (
birth control) services;
emergency contraception; screening for
breast,
cervical and
testicular cancers;
pregnancy testing and
pregnancy options counseling; 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.
Planned Parenthood describes itself as "the nation's leading sexual and reproductive health care advocate and provider." In 2005, Planned Parenthood provided 264,943 surgical and medical abortions, the most of any abortion provider in the U.S.
Some
pro-life organizations that 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 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.
Faye Wattleton was president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America from 1978 to 1992, the longest term in the organization's history. 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 became president of the organization.
Stand on political and legal issues
Planned Parenthood and its predecessor organizations have provided and advocated for access to birth control since the founding of the National Birth Control League in 1916. The modern organization of Planned Parenthood America is also an advocate for
reproductive rights, including the right to abortion. 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 don't 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
refusal clauses (also called conscience clauses) which would allow pharmacists to refuse to dispense contraceptives if doing so would conflict with their personal beliefs. Planned Parenthood has also been critical of hospitals that 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, Planned Parenthood favors (and offers) comprehensive sex education, which includes discussion of both abstinence and birth control.
Controversy and criticism
Planned Parenthood has been accused by pro-life organizations of agreeing not to report cases of
statutory rape to the authorities; for example, a pro-life activist, posing as a 13-year-old impregnated by her 22-year-old boyfriend, called over 800 clinics requesting an abortion. According to the recorded audio and transcripts, over 90% of the clinics agreed to her request not to report the boyfriend to the police for statutory rape.
Planned Parenthood has received criticism for withholding court-subpoenaed medical records of patients 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.
In 2007 Planned Parenthood in various states was subjected to a series of phone calls by students on the staff of a
University of California, Los Angeles student-run magazine,
The Advocate, run by a student pro-life organization. The calls included one in July 2007 to Planned Parenthood of Idaho offering a donation if it could be earmarked for abortions for black women because, "the less black kids out there the better." Answering the phone call, the organization's vice president of development and marketing said, "Understandable, understandable" and continued, "Excuse my hesitation, this is the first time I've had a donor call and make this kind of request, so I'm excited and want to make sure I don't leave anything out." Planned Parenthood of Idaho's
CEO later issued a statement saying that the officer "violated the organization's principles and practices" and was suspended. The editor of
The Advocate stated that Planned Parenthood of Idaho and the six other states were selected, in part, for having laws that allow
single party approval of taped telephone conversations.
Planned Parenthood and the U.S. 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 Supreme Court, with Justices
Harry Blackmun and
John Paul Stevens (also Republican appointees) concurring with the main decision in separately written opinions. The Supreme 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
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. Syllabus, Opinion, one Concurrence, and two Concurrence & Dissent statements
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. PMID 12041276.
2001: Planned Parenthood v. ACLA. The American Coalition of Life Activists (ACLA) released a flier and “Wanted” posters with complete personal information about doctors who performed abortions. Through the release of the information, the ACLA promoted controversy and called people to action. A civil jury and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals both found that the material was indeed "true threats" and not protected speech.
January 2006: Ayotte v. Planned Parenthood of Northern New England. docket link This relates to a constitutionality challenge by Planned Parenthood et al. of a 2003 New Hampshire parental notification law related to access to abortion. Questions before the Court Opinion of the US First Circuit Court of Appeals leading to the Questions before the Court 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.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Planned Parenthood'.
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