1

RUNNING HEAD: Funding Planned Parenthood

Literature Review Report of Funding Planned Parenthood

Jacob Michael Chavira
University of Texas at El Paso
Mr. Hernandez
Rhetoric and Writing Studies 1302

FUNDING PLANNED PARENTHOOD

2
Abstract

This is a literature review about the fundamental beliefs of Planned Parenthood, its
impact on everyone, and the opposing viewpoints about the source of funding for Planned
Parenthood and their provided services. There will be an analysis of the reasoning behind the
arguments made from certain viewpoints such as those who are against certain actions of
Planned Parenthood and other family planning services. The purpose, really, is to avoid the runaround caused from the what and why parts of arguments about abortion and other services
provided by the use of federal subsidies. It will, however, focus on the how. In addition, all of
this will be centered around the response to five key questions that may contribute to the the
debate of whether the federal government is obligated, or even permitted to financially assist
Planned Parenthood and all its services within the national non-profit organization. These five
key questions will categorize all the arguments from the opposing viewpoints into issues;
breaking the complexity of certain ideologies and finding the root causes to the responses given
by all of whom who are passionately involved in this subject.

FUNDING PLANNED PARENTHOOD

Funding Planned Parenthood

Recently, there has been a spur of debate across the nation in light of shocking videos;
alleging that a large, federally-subsidised reproductive clinic program was engaging in
extremely unethical activity. Before further evidence was found, politicians and news media
were quick to assume that this would lead to a change in public opinion about the services
provided by this program; particularly with abortion. Further evidence proved that these were
false, however, the makers of the videos were members of a pro-life group who apparently were
intent on convincing congress to defund planned parenthood. It is almost needless to say that the
actions and the provocations of people across the country proves the significance of the personal
impact Planned Parenthood has on everyone; patients and non-patients are all affected. This
report is intended to explore the reason why this issue is so sensitive, it remains to be a
politically hot topic after decades of bitter feuds between those in support and those in
opposition. All of this emphasizes the argument of who shouldor shouldnt fund planned
parenthood. There can be many questions to consider when trying to solve this issue, but this
literature review will focus on five key questions about the organization itself:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Should the federal government fund Planned Parenthood?

How does abortions affect funding?
Is funding Planned Parenthood an issue of morality or seperation of church and state?
What are the benefits of using Planned Parenthood?
Who are the main supporters of Planned Parenthood?

This literature review report will: answer the said questions from a strictly impartial stance, so as
to be able to provide information of Planned Parenthood and the issue itself with the kind of
credibility that deems this report as a reliable source for everyone involved in the current debate.
Should the federal government fund Planned Parenthood?

FUNDING PLANNED PARENTHOOD

Much of the controversy behind Planned Parenthood is the fact that it currently receives
financial assistance from federal government. According to the report of the non-profit
organization, they received about 41 million dollars in some form of government assistance in
June of last year (Parenthood 2015). The amount of all their revenue totaled to about
$238,000,000. Some critics argue that because of this, government assistance seems almost
ineffective and unnecessary for such a profitable organization. The expenses, however, may tell a
different story. Their annual report for that same year shows that they spent roughly 190 milion
dollars. The difference between their revenue and their expenses is too close to be a coincidence:
an estimation of 40 million dollars. This is the same estimated amount that was most recently
appropiated by the federal government. In other words, the conritbutions made directly by
Congress is just enough to keep the entire organization from being dangerously close to a deficit
year by year. On a logical standpoint, it seems that planned parenthood does indeed depend on
the federal government, and that such amounts currently given by Congress is equally important
as the rest of their sources of revenue (Parenthood 2015). The following chart provides a visual
interpretation of the significant role the government plays when it is compared to the other
sources of revenue.

FUNDING PLANNED PARENTHOOD

Revenue (in millions)

Direct Response
Donations, Foundations,
bequests and other
generous contributions
Affiliates, other support
Fundrasing and sales of
publications and
commodities
Net assets released from
restrictions

The following chart is the comparison of sources of income Planned Parenthood received
as of 2015. The direct response area represents the amount given by Congress itself; literally a
check written in the name of the U.S. government. The second category represents everything
that can safely be considered to be generous offerings given from various entities including
corporations. The third category represents funds given by affiliates such as those who invest in
government bonds and specifically picked types of safe, low risk investments in certain entities
which in this case would be Planned Parenthood. The very small area coded purple represents the
funds received through all fundraising events, souvenir sales, publications such as books,
research reports, and other written products. This area includes all expenses and taxes paid
afterwards. The major and last area represents the funds restricted from use that were finally
allocated to them in this fiscal year. The reason why this doesnt necessarily count as part of the
government revenue is because this alone consists of many sources of income bundled into one
package that was held by the government for further auditing and or automatically restricted for

FUNDING PLANNED PARENTHOOD

a set amount of time. As one can see, Planned Parenthood depends on all the sources of income
since the amount that is held back and for how long is somewhat unpredictable.
Another main concern to address in this question is the importance of Planned
Parenthood; the very reason why they exist all over the nation and the reason why the
government currently sides with them financially. One author explains the origins of Planned
Parenthood and family planning services in which the idea of reproductive services was actually
introduced in the late 1940s for developing countries with overpopulation. It wasnt until the
1960s, however, when such an idea came to life and more particularly when Planned Parenthood
Federation of America was born. In the American Journal of Public Health, Author N. Aries
continues to mention the levels of support clinics such as Planned Parenthood received in the
face of public scrutiny. Most of the support pointed to the idea that Family Planning is viable
solution to the long-term improvement of living standards for all families; especially for those
who were poverty-stricken as a result of having too many kids or from having kids while being
financially unprepared to support them. In this research, President Nixon is even qouted giving a
message that sums both the problem that is to be solved, and the means of solving it: Finally we
must ask: how can we better assist American families so that they will have no more children
than they wish to have? The problem, to be exact, was that at the time there was about 5 million
women who were in need of family planning services but only 773000 had access to care
(Aries, 1467, 1987). Though the family planning program doesnt directly help those who are
already in need of assistance for their families, it is intended to help stop the problem of
overpopulation from getting worse. Through the use innovations in contraception and factual
information, family planning intends to allow time for resources to become abundant and

FUNDING PLANNED PARENTHOOD

ultimately benefit everyone by countering the ripple effect from uncontrolled reproduction
(Aries 1987).
How does Abortions Affect Funding?
With all the information that seems to make no doubt that Planned Parenthood is needed
for millions of low-income women and men, one may wonder why is there such a debate? Well,
much of the debate is in the nature of how they help encourage careful planning in reproduction.
Critics emphasize the morality behind one such preventive measure for unplanned pregnancies;
which is termination by abortion. Abortion is such a hot topic that this alone can be the main
subject of an entire research paper. The influence this subject has in both public opinion and in
Congress will be the focus for this segment. Some argue that abortion is primitive and somewhat
inhumane compared to moden-day methods such as contraception and birth control. Not to be
mistaken for one another, birth control is a prescribed, monthly regiment of hormone regulatory
pills that are taken on specific days of the week by women. Contraception, on the other hand is
usually a one-time dose taken immediately following the event of unprotected sex. This is
intended soley to prevent conception at the moment the woman is at risk. Going back to the
subject at hand, abortion seems hard to discuss mainly because there are many circumstances
that are still ambiguous and can not simply be predetermined. MSNBC news elaborates on this in
their report Why its so hard to measure public opinion on abortion?. In this article, the author
analyzes the approaches different major surveys made towards the same debate; just with
different subtopics. For exmaple, one survey showed that the majority of people supported a ban
on abortion after 20 weeks of pregannacy. In a different question, a majority of people opposed
taxpayer funding of abortion (Carmen 2016). New information, however, seems to turn the tables
every time. Another survey shows that the majority of Americans would oppose a ban after

FUNDING PLANNED PARENTHOOD

twenty weeks if a doctor determines that the fetus isnt viable; something that cant be done until
several weeks after the twenty-week mark (Carmen 2016). In the matters of public opinion
abortion seems to debatable for each individual based on how they are approached with the
question. This is important to know because this helps explain the reasoning behind the bills
written by members of congress and the decisions made by the Supreme Court. History of any
and all laws regarding family planning and abortion itself has shown that many outright
contradict each other in the same subtopics; much like the same way the surveys caused
contradicting responses. Lastly, the article concludes with the authors results which find that
people with second-hand or first-hand experience with the event itself were more likely to
support family planning and abortion while those with less experience or relation to experience
were more likely to oppose it (Carmen 2016). Abortions apparently plays not only a key role in
funding for Planned Parenthood, but also in the very existence of the organization and everything
that involves it. It seems to place the organizations existennce at the mercy of many people,
including politicians, and their indecisiveness towards the entire issue.
Is it an Issue of Morality, or of Seperation of Church and State?
The majority of those who oppose most, if not all, family planning services hold on
firmly to the morality behind all the activities of Planned Parenthood. However, much of the
opposition focuses either on the one highly controversial method such as abortion, or on the fact
that the cost of such an action is partially funded by the money taxed from everyone; including
those who oppose it. This demands a need for clarity as to what exactly is the issue much of the
critics have with family planning services such as Planned Parenthood. It should be noted that
the recent events in the news regarding the alleged actions/accusations towards Planned
Parenthood made the call for an end to the federal funding of Planned Parenthood, not the end of

FUNDING PLANNED PARENTHOOD

the organization itself. This observation may give a clue to what could be the root of the problem
and possibly lead to a compromise. Author Alfred Martin Rehwinkel answers this question with
much needed explanation in his book titled Planned Parenthood and Birth Control in the Light
of Christian Ethics. In it, he acknowledges the purpose behind family planning services;
concurring that there must be foundation for healthy and safe reproduction for both sake of the
new family and society as a whole. He goes in depth in his own work, providing the history of
contaception and or some form of birth control in earlier civilizations. He provides findings of
the most popular of christian churches, including the Catholic Church, and lastly he ives his own
opinion and explanation on how birth control should be approached. According to his findings,
most Christian churches declare that abortion is a sin and should be forbidden; the reason being
because it threatens the progression of the human race. Other reasons have to do with the
obligations of marriage, which includes raising a family through bearing children. On the issue
of birth control, Rehwinkel finds that even though the bible is mostly silent on this issue, the
Catholic Church declares that all forms of pregnancy prevention, except for biological
coincidences, is sinful and should be avoided. Other christian churches are passive and
somewhat permit the use of birth control as long as all acts of reproduction are only between
spouses married to each other (Rehwinkel, 1959, 37-47). The Catholic Church also emphasizes
the need for sex to be solely within the sacred boundary of marriage. In his own opinion,
Rehwinkel ultimatley concludes that one should respect the sanctity of marriage; to acknowledge
sexual urges to be natural and to approach this issue by simply focusing on being morally
responsible (Rehwinkel, 1959, 88-89). Ultimately the answer to the question of this segment is
both. Some of the actions or services seem to deeply affect peoples views about their beliefs
about creating life and want nothing to do with anything that otherwise violates these ideals. The

FUNDING PLANNED PARENTHOOD

10

rest of the services and the organization, however, seems to already be condoned by most of the
major churches in North America.
What are the benefits of using Planned Parenthood?
Planned Parenthood sponsors many related research projects that are both ongoing and
already complete. Such evidence is found in a C-SPAN video of legislation discussing the
Bioethics of Fetal Tissue Research. In the transcripts of the session, Jan Schakowsky
immediately explains the pros of fetal tissue research. Fetal tissue research has saved millions
of lives and had the potential to save millions more. (C-SPAN 2016). Later transcripts reveal
that through the use of human fetal tissue, scientists have in fact gotten closer to developing
more vaccines and have made advancements into the ever evolving and controversial stem cell
research. Supporters of the use of human fetal tissue donnated for research and experimentation
contended that stem cell research has the potential cure many diseases, including genetic
disorders and even paralysis. Overall, most of the delegates in the video pointed the
improvements in the quality of life provided by human fetal tissue research (C-SPAN 2016).
Another benefit of using and or having Planned Parenthood is their support for those who
otherwise wouldnt have it. Heather D. Boonstra, in her journal article titled Heart of the
Matter, points out that even though abortion is legal, many states discourage the practice simply
by cutting off funding in government healthcare programs such as Medicaid. Of the fifty states,
over 33 of them and the District of Columbia, restrict public healthcare funds when it comes to
abortions (Boonstra 2007). Boonstra claims that without programs such as Planned Parenthood
and their involvnemnt in the reduction of costs for their own services, many women would often
have no choice but to go forward with the unwanted pregnancy.

FUNDING PLANNED PARENTHOOD

11

Who are the Main Supporters of PP?

Evidently, there is pattern among the supporting of Planned Parenthood. Sure, there are a
few anamolies as with any demographic of a fan base, but one interesting pattern is gender. The
majority of those who support all the actions of Planned Parenthood tend to be women. In the
website Science Direct one will find numerous reports from any entry related to reproduction and
reproduction technology to be compiled mostly by women. Some of the research compilations in
Science Direct reveal certain ideals the authors have towards the main subject. Many welleducated scientists, particularly in the field of obstetrics and gynecology, are very supportive of
the community outreach and global awareness of reproductive health. Lastly, the most important
connection to make with those who support Planned Parenthood is there connection to the
organization itself. As one of the earlier used sources (MSNBC reporter Irin Carmon) pointed
out, someway or somehow, each individual reporter seems to have some connection to the
organization and the subject itself. This connection can be a first-hand experience, second-hand
experience, or even be traced to the information received by them from anything informative.
Planned Parenthood grows its support base simply through their provision of free information
about themselves.
Concluding thoughts
Research into this subject has revealed that many people have viewpoints contradictory to
each other within their own ideologies. Part of this had to do with the complexity of this subject;
confusion being the main feeling by those who try to get a solid stance from an individual. The
approach to the subject will drastically affect the reponses and ultimately the results. Even
though I wasnt able to get a survey or an interview due to the sensitivity of my issue, one of

FUNDING PLANNED PARENTHOOD

12

my earlier sources reveal the possible innaccuracy that lays with many of the results from related
and very popular polls. Furthermore, the actual reference to the derivation of the core values of
opponents of Planned Parenthood surprisingly seem to hardly conflict with most of the actions of
Planned Parenthood. Ironically, some of the reasons behind the views held by supporters of the
federal funding of Planned Parenthood actually fit better with what would be the core reasons of
opposing Planned Parenthood. Thanks to these observations, there should be more clarity to this
subject as it truly is a matter of being well-informed. Ultimately, this report shows that even
something specific like the funding of Planned Parenthood has to be broken down further just to
reach breakthroughs in the wants from all of whom who wish to be informed and involved in this
subject.

FUNDING PLANNED PARENTHOOD

13
Works Cited

Aries, N. (1987). Fragmentation and reproductive freedom: Federally subsidized family planning
services, 1960-80. Am J Public Health American Journal of Public Health, 77(11), 1465-1471.
Retrieved March 5, 2016.
Boonstra, H. D. (n.d.). Guttmacher policy review. 2007, Volume 10, Number 1 :: Georgetown
Law Library. Retrieved March 07, 2016, from
http://cdm16064.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p266901coll4/id/2549
Carmon, I. (2016). Why it's so hard to measure public opinion on abortion. Retrieved March 07,
2016, from http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/why-its-so-hard-measure-public-opinion-abortion
Hearing on Fetal Tissue Research. (n.d.). Retrieved March 07, 2016, from http://www.cspan.org/video/?405854-1/hearing-fetal-tissue-research
Planned Parenthood | Official Site. (n.d.). Retrieved March 07, 2016, from
https://www.plannedparenthood.org/
Rehwinkel, A. M. (1959). Planned parenthood and birth control in the light of Christian ethics.
Saint Louis: Concordia Pub. House.
ScienceDirect. (n.d.). Retrieved March 08, 2016, from http://www.sciencedirect.com/