The Struggle For Autonomy

Although politicians or the government do not have the authority to speak on behalf of women, politics has always had a role in Planned Parenthood and the issue of women’s reproductive rights Pro-life politicians have vigorously attempted to shut down Planned Parenthood over the last 100 years, they’re the only argument was that the organization is solely responsible for performing abortions. Representative Kathy Castor, Democrat of Florida stated that House Republicans are attempting to pass a bill “to inflame the passions that are based on false videos, distorted clips, that was part of a coordinated smear campaign all across the country, is being used as a foundation to close the government.” Representative Castor believes that the actions taken by the Republican Congress are vastly impacting women’s health care. Speaker John A. Boehner stated that “those who would deny the weakest among us the right to life are on the wrong side of history.” However, denying women their right to make choices regarding their bodies is a major setback for future generations (Herszenhorn, 2015). One of Planned Parenthood’s spokesman, Eric Ferrero stated that this bill was another way for politicians to take control of women’s right to health. The majority of the Democratic party agree that Planned Parenthood helps many men and women, which they are able to do because of their various services. Democrats in favor of Planned Parenthood are attacking the organization is an excuse to “limit a woman’s reproductive choice.” Aside from personal beliefs, most of the politicians against Planned Parenthood are mainly focused on the use of taxpayers’ money used to help lower income men and women (Herszenhorn, 2015).

There are many reasons why an organization such as Planned Parenthood is crucial for millions of Americans. However, the role of conservative Republicans and pro-life groups have made it challenging for Planned Parenthood to safely provide care to men and women. In the article, “A Bad Year For Reproductive Rights,” published in The New York Times, members of the Editorial Board review the significant role politics played in 2015 regarding the issue of women’s reproductive rights. The Editorial Board reports that there were 57 new constraints on women’s rights to abortion and the possibility of more constraints that inevitably rise in 2016. The Board discusses the TRAP laws, known as Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers and the effect has on women across several states with strict anti-abortion views. These laws have forced many abortion clinics to restrict their services forcing women to seek out help from other states. Due to these laws and restrictions on women’s rights to choose, there is an increase in the possibility that many women will attempt to terminate a pregnancy without any medical help or knowledge. In many states where these are incredibly strict, termination of a pregnancy, women may face charges for attempted murder.The authors provide results from a survey that “estimated that 100,000 to 240,000 Texas women ages 18 to 49 have attempted a self-induced abortion without medical assistance.” The results from the study show that these women most likely lack basic resources such as contraceptives most likely due to financial needs. The authors claim that Arizona and Arkansas “passed laws requiring doctors to give women misleading information about the possibility of "reversing" a medication-induced abortion.” The authors assert that even though “modern, evidence-based drug protocol for medication abortion” is more effective and inexpensive, Arkansas has banned this method to be practiced in many clinics. These laws should be overruled not only because of their effects on women’s health but also because politicians do not have the authority to deny women the right to make decisions regarding their bodies.