The Washington Post’s On Faith blog recently posed some important questions re: our country’s views on planned pregnancy, abortion and birth control – claiming that with all the strides made in other areas (e.g. civil rights, women’s right’s technology), the US has made few strides in its societal beliefs in the areas of contraception options and advocacy. This is most evident through last week’s debate on the House Republican’s vote to approve ending federal funding for Planned Parenthood, which is the recipient of both private and federal dollars.  Planned Parenthood commits its efforts toward birth control prescriptions, breast and cervical cancer testing and, yes, abortion.  Federal law currently prohibits using tax dollars to fund abortion. A firestorm of backlash has since erupted against such a decision (Link).

According to the Washington Post, “the recent unplesantness in Washington shows that the basic concept – and promise – of planning and controlling conception through the use of birth control is now so poorly misunderstood that people who should know better routinely lump pregnancy prevention together with abortion. Clearly and obviously, they are not the same.”

To categorize them as the same moral and ethical acts may have unwarranted implications.  Using birth control to prevent pregnancy is not the same as obtaining an abortion for an established pregnancy. Is the aim here to limit access (public) to birth control?  According to its website, Planned Parenthood serves nearly 1.2 million youthand adults every year.  If passed, what impact will this have on national pregnancy rates (planned/unplanned vs. wanted/unwanted)? What message is this really sending?

According to the Washington Post, well over 90 percent of abortions in this country are to women who themselves say that, at the time they became pregnant, they did not want to.  Yes, the lesson is quite obvious – helping women prevent unplanned, unwanted pregnancy will, in turn, result in a drop in the number of abortions.

If you would like to join Planned Parenthood’s campaign. “Don’t take away my birth control” – you can find it here.

Source: The Washington Post