During his 2016 presidential campaign, one of Donald Trump’s most polarizing stances was on Planned Parenthood funding. Founded in 1921 under the name American Birth Control League, Planned Parenthood has been a provider of contraceptives, birth control, and abortions for more than 80 years.
There is a split amongst people who believe Planned Parenthood is useful and serves a purpose. And then there those who think it is more detrimental than helpful. So in January when Trump was set to sign an executive order defunding Planned Parenthood there was a split in the court of public opinions of whether this was the right or wrong decision. The order was set to bar federal funds from organizations that promote abortion around the world, which includes Planned Parenthood.
“I think that President Trump’s proposal to defund Planned Parenthood is an answer to my prayers, it’s the most wonderful thing I have heard a president say, abortion is not healthcare. Tax-payers money should not be funding the killing of innocent, pre-born people,” said Mary Landry, a devout Catholic who believes that abortions are immoral and wrong.
Landry and fellow members of her church protested outside of a recent Planned Parenthood rally outside of City Hall to voice their displeasure with abortions.
“If a mother can kill her baby, then anyone can kill anybody,” said Lydia Rose, another member of Landry’s church.
This led to a conversation about whether religious and political values should be mixed when making a decision like this.
“I believe that there should be a separation of church and state. The animosity towards abortion because of religious religions is them forcing their religious ideology on other people and that isn’t fair to women’s rights,” said Greg Schoepp, a sophomore at Loyola University New Orleans.
People who attended the rally in support of Planned Parenthood believed it was necessary for low-income families and helped women’s agency and their independence.
“I believe in equal rights for both men and women. I believe it is really unfair for a guy like myself to be able to tell a woman what to do with her body,” said Schoepp.
Though the protest in favor of defunding Planned Parenthood centered around abortions, there are other resources Planned Parenthood provides besides abortions that could be lost with the executive order.
“The executive order will effect low-income families and families that are medically underserved. People that don’t normally have access to cancer screenings, STD tests, reproductive information, stuff that people need to have healthy lives. Taking away Planned Parenthood makes peoples lives hard for so many reasons but for no reason at all,” said Schoepp.
With the backlash and concerns of political repercussions Trump recently loosened his stance on the defunding of Planned Parenthood. The proposal was rejected and Trump has proposed that Planned Parenthood can keep federal funding if they no longer provide abortions.
Chelsea Gaudet, a peaceful protester in favor of Planned Parenthood, believs that abortion isn’t something that anybody should have a say in besides the woman who is making the decision.
“I would say that we can not judge people who are probably making the toughest decision of their life. And a solution to unplanned pregnancy is access to free or inexpensive contraception which is something that Planned Parenthood provides,” said Gaudet.
Kameron Hay 