The Struggle For Autonomy

The debate over women’s health rights has been an issue for many years. However, religion and politics managed to have a significant impact on women’s rights for thousands of years. Women had to struggle for many years for their basic rights but gloriously succeeded in accomplishing many of their goals and with hard work, they acquired their rights to equality. One of the current women’s rights issue is the proposal to end the funding for Planned Parenthood and shut down all of the organization’s clinics around the United States. Planned Parenthood is the main source for millions of lower-income people where they can receive their basic health care without the worry of excessive debt. If Planned Parenthood clinics were terminated, it would negatively impact millions of men and women.

Planned Parenthood is often misunderstood because pro-life activists have instilled the idea that the organization is solely responsible for performing abortion procedures. The pro-life groups have continuously attacked, falsified information and created intricate lies in order to shut down Planned Parenthood. However, these attempts to end Planned Parenthood are not new, these attacks have persisted since the organization was established in 1916. Planned Parenthood provides various services such as cancer screening, contraception, and treatments for many sexually transmitted diseases. These services not only benefit women, but they also provide services to men and families in general.

If Planned Parenthood was defunded because political and religious influence, the government should contemplate the negative effect it would have on future generations. The government should continue to fund Planned Parenthood because the organization’s mission is to help men and women. Denying these health care rights is considered to be “war on women” which not only affects women today but the next generation of strong, independent girls across the globe. It has been Eleven years since Colleen was diagnosed with invasive stage 2 breast cancer but because she was able to receive a breast cancer screening at Planned Parenthood, she is able to live a healthy lifestyle and encourage women to take care of their bodies, and not to limit their health care needs due to financial difficulties. Women are constantly oppressed by society due to their gender and the belief that the primary role of women is to procreate. In many cases, the topic of abortion is whether the procedure should be legal or illegal, but the law should not be involved in women’s health. The government should fund Planned Parenthood because the organization’s primary mission is to help millions of lower-income men and women, and society as a whole should encourage women’s autonomy and protect their basic human rights.