Respect Planned Parenthood

The past few issues of The Bulletin have been particularly one-sided in the discussion surrounding sex, abortion, and birth control.  Jessica Morley's letter to the editor last week regarding Abby Johnson's speaking engagement in Spokane struck a chord with me, primarily because of the inconsistencies found in her book and speeches. 

One of the first things that we learned upon our admission to Gonzaga was the importance of critical thinking.  People should apply those critical thinking skills to Ms. Johnson's claims and take a step back from inflammatory rhetoric and ask some questions about the validity of her stories.  She can hardly be seen as an unbiased and objective source, considering the fact that she just took a job with an organization whose stated aim is to "take down" Planned Parenthood.  Furthermore, an investigative journalist from the Texas Monthly determined that, according to Texas State Health Department records, the procedure which prompted her to leave Planned Parenthood likely never actually took place.

Opposition to Planned Parenthood is about more than just opposition to abortion.  I've been a volunteer at the clinic off of Indiana and Division for almost five months now, and odds are several of you have seen me sitting behind the front desk and have benefited from the numerous services provided at the clinic.  Abortions comprise only 4 percent of the services Planned Parenthood provides — the other 96 percent include birth control consultations, reduced price emergency contraceptives, vasectomies, gynecological exams, and STD testing. 

So how about we stop fighting about abortion and start agreeing that all sexual health services are extremely important and should be available to everyone — college students, teens who don't feel that they can talk to their parents about birth control, and people who lack a way to afford medical care.  Planned Parenthood is there for anyone who seeks its services. 

It's time to recognize just how important of a role that Planned Parenthood plays in our community — at Gonzaga, in Spokane, and in the U.S. as a whole.