Blog #2

It would be too broad to make the statement, “everyone over exaggerates” in today’s world. While this may not be the case, it could definitely be said that certain articles, online and in print, would make this statement seem like a feasible reality. One of the many social disputes in America today is the pros vs. cons of Planned Parenthood. It seems like everyone has a side, either you’re for it or against it. I, for one, am for it. But while this is the case, I have come across some articles prompting me to support Planned Parenthood with some pretty ridiculous claims that may or may not have anything to do with what this organization actually does. In this blog, I will be looking at 28 Reasons Real People Support Planned Parenthood—And You Should Too, written by Elizabeth Enochs for bustle.com.

The whole basis of this article is to look past what Planned Parenthood says that they do, and focuses in on why normal, everyday people support them with pictures to show what people have written on dry erase boards and the faces behind the comments. While it was nice seeing both men and women supporting Planned Parenthood, it was difficult to find anyone who looked or seemed as if they came from a low-income household. I took a tally of race and if the people seemed poor, wealthy (or well off), or if it couldn’t be distinguished. 22 people out of the 28 pictured were white and 15 of them I considered wealthy, based on what they wore (i.e. name brand purses, name brand shoes, Beats headphones, etc.). 13 of those people I considered unknown as they didn’t look as if they came from a low-income household but had no indicators specifying that they were well off financially. If most of these people talk about Planned Parenthood greatly supporting those who come from a low-income household, why wasn’t anyone from that demographic there?

Some of the comments made by these participants struck me as statements that didn’t mean much in light of what Planned Parenthood actually does. Right out the gate, Jeremy (age 27) wrote, “The PP kept me clean.” Clean from drugs? Clean from STIs? Marcia (age 26) wrote, “My friends NEED Planned Parenthood.” My question is why? It is highly possible that her friends have used PP in the past and she can’t talk about their experiences, but she looks like she comes from a financially stable home. Again, where are the low-income citizens?

The comment that really got me was written by Kate (age 40), “Because Pro-Choice is Pro-Life.” By definition, pro-choice is, “advocating legalized abortion,” and pro-life is, “opposing abortion and euthanasia.” These are on two opposite side of the abortion scale. Sorry Kate, but this does not inspire me to support PP.

Many of these people talked about sexual education in high schools, but I have never heard this claim before nor have I seen it first-hand. Sex Ed in my high school was taught in health class by my teacher. Nobody from PP came in and talked to us about safe sexual practices or what PP stands for. Perhaps this has changed in the almost 4 years since I’ve been in high school, but it still doesn’t seem like PP is actively engaging in the lives of these teenagers.

One of the comments written by Cass (age 32) said, “Being self employed without benefits, Planned Parenthood allowed me to have access to women’s health without insurance.” Had there been more comments like this, I would be more inclined to whole-heartedly vouch for PP.

This article doesn’t do Planned Parenthood justice. While it is uplifting to see why others support PP, it also deters me from wanting to engage even more. Some (very few, really) of these people are undereducated with what PP does and does not do, and that strikes me as odd. For those who aren’t well informed or “in the know” about what PP does, how would they look at this article? What would their thoughts be?