Planned Parenthood is a nonprofit organization that is partially funded by the Title X Family Planning Program. Title X Family Planning Program is federal funding that is supposed to go to clinics that provide contraceptive services, counseling and reproductive health-related preventive services to low income patients. The organization provides a variety of services from sexual and reproductive healthcare to education and outreach to millions of people across the nation. The mission statement for the organization is that:      

Planned Parenthood believes in the fundamental right of each individual,  throughout the world, to manage his or her fertility, regardless of the individual's income, marital status, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, national origin, or residence. We believe that respect and value for diversity in all aspects of our organization are essential to our well-being. We believe that reproductive self-determination must be voluntary and preserve the individual's right to privacy. We further believe that such self-determination will contribute to an enhancement of the quality of life and strong family relationships. ("Mission")

With this mission statement Planned Parenthood affiliated health clinics are visited by 2.5 million women and men annually throughout the nation, with eighty-four percent of these patients being over the age of twenty ("Mission"). Due to recent controversy over the acts of the organization allegedly selling fetal tissue, states have begun to pull the Title X funding from Planned Parenthoods. These budget cuts create many issues in various states throughout the country for both men, women and children. Pulling the funding will create detrimental effects in healthcare for people throughout the United States, leaving many people without any preventative healthcare in their area. 

In August of 2015, the Center for Medical Progress, a prolife organization, released footage of Planned Parenthood officials discussing their action on what to do with the fetal tissue created by abortions. The incriminating video claims that these officials were selling the fetal tissue for profit. Although investigations proved what the organization had disclosed, Planned Parenthood was receiving reimbursement for the remains that aided in the costs of the abortions. These videos created enough controversy that the whole organization was called into question. Many states have decided to not renew Planned Parenthoods contract to receive funding from the Title X Family Planning Program, cutting almost a third of the organizations funding (Foley). 

The main focus of Planned Parenthood is not providing abortions contrary to public belief. According to Senator Deb Fischer of Nebraska, Planned Parenthoods are inhumane. She believes that "Our focus should be on supporting organizations that prioritize women's health, not organizations hiring pricey PR firms for damage control (Ernst)". Senator Fischer wants to shut down many Planned Parenthoods and reallocate funds to clinics that will provide some of the same services but not abortion (Ernst).   Planned Parenthood clinics concentrate on providing patients with pregnancy prevention services first and foremost. This past year, Planned Parenthood prevented more that 579,000 unwanted pregnancies as well as provide more than 4.2 million tests and treatments for various sexually transmitted diseases ("Mission"). None of the Title X funding goes towards abortions, those are paid out of pocket, and the number of clinics that provide even half the services of Planned Parenthood and accept Medicaid is significantly fewer in number. 

There are a variety of non Planned Parenthood clinics that provide a few of the same services as Planned Parenthood, but there is a limited number of these clinics in more impoverished areas, where they would be greatly utilized. These clinics are not as accessible for many of Planned Parenthoods patients. In one article, the Dayton Daily News discussed the issue of the:

State budget cuts to Planned Parenthood, signed into law last month by Gov. John Kasich ...  could put a stop to a Planned Parenthood program that provides free testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections. And the organization might have to stop offering sex education to teenagers in the juvenile justice system and foster care, and home visits to new moms to help prevent infant mortality. (Harshman)

 These budget cuts would not solely be eliminating access to abortions for women, which is Senator Fischer's goal, but would be taking away healthcare for thousands of individuals.

The number of Planned Parenthood affiliated centers vary from state to state and cutting federal funding would considerably decrease those numbers. According to an article written in The Capital Times, in the state of Wisconsin "Gov. Scott Walker and his legislative allies cut $1 million annually in state funding to the organization, resulting in the shuttering of five of its 27 clinics in the state. None of those clinics provided abortions (Elbow)". The controversy around funding is showing up in many of the states from investigations being held, raids on certain facilities, to completely cutting funding. States can cut Planned Parenthood funding without having to converse with the federal government. New Hampshire is the most recent state to defund their Planned Parenthood centers, being the twelfth state to cute their funding. With federal intervention, states also have the option to block Medicaid funding from the centers:

In 2011, Texas banned Planned Parenthood from Medicaid's Women's Health Program. The federal government responded by cutting off its funding, which made up 90 percent of the total, leaving Texas taxpayers on the hook for the entire amount. The move left the state without enough providers to meet demand, and the number of women served by clinics in the program dropped an average of 25 percent. (Elbow)

Without the funding these clinics cease to exist. Without these clinics, a vast amount of women are left without proper healthcare.  

Due to the obvious detriments to the population, funding for Planned Parenthood should be reinstated in all of the states. The main reasoning to cut funding for the organization is to try to prevent more abortions. Instead of stopping abortions, cutting funding leaves these clinics no longer able to provide the programs that are made possible by the Title X Family Planning Program, a.k.a. preventative healthcare needed by men and women. With this being the case, state officials need to be focused on the legalization of abortion, instead of eliminating important health clinics throughout the states. Medicaid also needs to be accepted within these clinics. In specific states such as Wisconsin:

Planned Parenthood has been the sole recipient for Title X grants, which comprise about a sixth of Planned Parenthood's revenues, for over 35 years. But the larger pool of federal money comes from Medicaid, the federal/state health program for low-income families. The federal government provides 90 percent of the Medicaid funds for the reproductive health program, and the state kicks in the other 10 percent. (Elbow)

Medicaid is the main contributor towards funding these prevention centers, with the Title X grant covering most of what's left uncovered, with the exception of abortions. 

Planned Parenthoods are extremely needed throughout the United States for a variety of reasons. Since the main focus of the organization is preventing unplanned/unwanted pregnancies, it actually lessens the number of abortions needed nationwide. If women who do not want to be pregnant have resources that allow them to prevent the pregnancy, then it is an overall better situation for everyone involved. The program helps educate people in order to help their overall well being, providing tests and screenings for many health issues that have nothing to do with pregnancy as well. These clinics are not abortion centers, but more so they are health clinics that within each state that that help many individuals. Not only does the organization help people within one's home state, but it aids millions of individuals across the United States annually.

