What leads someone to a conclusion on whether or not they should be “pro-choice” or “pro-life? It is often that person’s personal values or morals that lead them to a certain conclusion on the topic. These values are in this case often attributed to religious belief or some form of emotional feeling which makes the funding and legality of Abortion a particularly dividing issue.
America is particularly divided on this issue with 29 percent of Americans saying it should be legal in all circumstances, 13 percent legal in most circumstances, 36 percent illegal in most circumstances, and 19 percent illegal in all circumstances according to Gallup polls. Imagine for a second something that you find morally impermissible, now imagine it being funded by the federal government. This is the exact situation many Americans found themselves being put into by the Federal government while it was funding planned parenthood.
Many pro-choice advocates like to point out that it is illegal under federal law for money to go to pay for an abortion, therefore planned parenthood is not using the money to pay for abortions. This is not true, money is fungible meaning that money floats around. Even if federal law like the Hyde Amendment prohibits taxpayer dollars from directly funding abortions, federal money can be used elsewhere within the Planned Parenthood organization so that other funds can be reallocated for abortion services. What Republicans want to do is shift the funds from Planned Parenthood into community health centers that offer many of the same services that Planned Parenthood does without abortion. Conservatives want women to be healthy and for people to be safe when it comes to having sex. What we don’t want is the federal government funding an organization with our tax dollars that performs abortions.
Yes, most what Planned Parenthood does may be preventative care, but they are also the largest abortion seller with 1 in 3 abortions being carried out by them. A woman going to one of their clinics was 15 times more likely to abort than receive an adoption referral or prenatal care this is all according to Planned Parenthood’s own report in 2013-2014. Planned Parenthood also is hardly a nonprofit, it took in 187 million dollars in revenue in 2011 and is capable of being self-sustaining. While under oath at a house committee hearing Planned Parenthood CEO Cecile Richards confirmed that it rakes in 86 percent of its non-governmental revenue from abortion. She also confirmed that there are no mammogram machines in any of their clinics. There are plenty of other health clinics that we could send federal funds to. There are 1,200 organizations with over 8,000 various locations across the country that outnumber Planned Parenthood clinics 11 to one. They already serve 23 million patients and offer all the same services except for abortion services.
Religious freedom is relevant in determining whether the American people should have their taxpayer dollars spent on abortion. How is it fair to present someone with the option of either paying for something that defies their religious beliefs, or paying a fine. No one should be forced into a situation like that, which is why the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Hobby Lobby whose owners only objected to the four drugs and procedures that could terminate life. Limiting a person’s freedom would be forcing them to directly or indirectly pay for something that goes against their religious beliefs.
The defunding of planned parenthood is a good move for congress, the abortions that it carries out go against the religious and moral beliefs of many Americans. People should not be forced into a situation where they know that their money is going to an organization like planned parenthood that carries out such a sizable percentage of abortions in our country. It is good that it has been defunded and many in the pro-life movement only wish it could have happened sooner.
Noah Roux is a freshman Political Science Major. He is the College Republican Fundraising Chair and a contributing writer for The Voice
