Missouri has been one of the many states moving towards stricter abortion laws causing Missouri Planned Parenthood to create a new location just outside the state limits in Illinois. The opening of this location has been needlessly bashed and now is the time to change this and start celebrating the opening of a new Planned Parenthood.
Missouri has been heavily pushing pro-life legislation, and this left the only Planned Parenthood in the state no choice but to expand across the river. The new location in Fairview Heights is 17 miles away from the St. Louis location – the only Planned Parenthood in Missouri. Women in Missouri who don’t live near St. Louis have a longer drive. This location’s construction was kept under-wraps until Oct. 2 when officials with Planned Parenthood announced the opening.
Planned Parenthood should never have to hide the opening of a new location. The new location should be celebrated because this means more women will have easy access to reproductive healthcare. As a Southern Illinois local, I drove past this construction site anytime I went from Webster to Illinois and often wondered what it was.
Pretty much the only time I ever see Planned Parenthood on social media is when someone is bashing them for being an abortion provider. Lies are thrown around that Planned Parenthood only provides abortions. It seems that no matter how much you explain that this isn’t the case, there are still people who think this way. Despite popular “pro-life” beliefs, it provided 4.7 million individuals with STI testing and treatment, 1.3 million other women’s health services and only 332,757 abortion services according to Planned Parenthood.
“Pro-lifers” are constantly fighting against sexual education in any form that isn’t abstinence only. I put pro-life in quotes because no one who fights against organizations like Planned Parenthood could ever be considered truly pro-life. When women are educated on how to have safe-sex there are lower rates of unwanted pregnancies and lower pregnancy rates in turn means lower abortion rates. If “pro-lifers” were actually pro-life they would want people educated so less unwanted pregnancies occur.
It’s obvious if you do any research that Planned Parenthood does more than just abortions. Planned Parenthood is essential for the reproductive health of many women. According to the CDC STDs nationwide have been on the rise and Planned Parenthood is one of the ways to fight against the spread of these diseases. When people understand safe sex, they’re less likely to have unwanted pregnancies.STD rates are statistically lower in states that have quality sexual education, according to a study published by Katherin Stranger-Hall and David Hall. “Pro-lifers” are relentlessly against Planned Parenthood, but one would think that less unwanted pregnancies are a good thing and that anything that lowers the rate of unwanted pregnancies is a good thing.
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