When I was still in school in the 1960s, I volunteered to stuff donation envelopes for a new organization called Planned Parenthood (I continue to support it). Its goal then, as now, was to provide high-quality sexual health care to women and men of all ages. Today, it is the largest provider of sex education and information, helping some 4.7 million people make responsible choices about sex and reproduction. Among other things, it offers screening for breast and cervical cancer, sexually transmitted disease testing, various methods of birth control, short- and long-term patient therapy and, where appropriate, abortion counseling. The latter accounts for only 3% of its total services.
No matter the tiny proportion of services related to abortion, the “Make America Great Again” Project 2025 plan, created by The Heritage Foundation, wants to defund the entirety of Planned Parenthood. Forget the fact that 79% of the users of these important services come from low-income families and that Planned Parenthood is their only resource. Also, forget the fact that 97% of the services are for keeping sexual activity safe, not only for women but for men, as well.
What is going on? Is Project 2025 simply a declaration that women have no rights over their bodies and that sex for fun is a game only men can play?
Julia Sperry
Hockessin
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