Main Objective

Planned Parenthood is a non profit organization that offers services involving sexual health for everyone. The main objective of this organization is to help people that can't afford the services elsewhere, or people who want service that needs to stay confidential.

What They Offer

Planned Parenthood believes that all people deserve access to birth control and other preventive health care, including breast and cervical cancer screenings, and testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections.

from Planned Parenthood Annual Report 2008-2009

Planned Parenthood offers:

• Pregnancy testing
• STD testing
• Abortions
• Contraceptives (birth control, condoms and morning after pill)
• Breast and testicular cancer screening
• Treatment for sexually transmitted diseases
• Menopause treatments
• Most importantly, sexual knowledge.

The most beneficial service Planned Parenthood offers is knowledge: "The number one reason for unplanned teen pregnancies is because they either didn't have knowledge about sexual health or no access to contraceptives" (Personal Interview).

They offer an insurance card called the California Pact Card, which is for people who don't have health insurance or people who need the serviceto be confidential. This card provides free services to low-income clients.

This organization serves over five million clients a year, with twenty percent of those clients being teenagers under the age of 19. Many people do not agree with this non profit organization because they believe Planned Parenthood is merely an abortion clinic, when statistics state that only roughly four percent of all services are for abortion services. Thirty five percent of all services are of Planned Parenthood providing contraceptives, which avoids accidental pregnancies.

Planned Parenthood information and helpful tips for parents and educators is endless.

Info for Teens:

For most teens, talking about sex and sexual health can be quite uncomfortable and often leads to not getting help at all. Planned Parenthood offers in person visits and online information for any question you might have reguarding:

• Abortion
• Birth Control
• Body Image
• General Health Care
• Men's Sexual Health
• Morning After Pill (Emergency Contraception)
• Pregnancy
• Relationships
• Sex & Sexuality
• Sexual Orientation
• Sexually Transmitted Diseases
• Women' Health

Tools for Parents:

Not only do teens have a hard time talking to an adult for information about sex, but parents do as well. It is always a tough pill to swallow when you have to have the birds and bees talk with your teenager son or daughter. Planned Parenthood knows how hard it can be, so they offer tools and guidance for parents that might know where so start. Some parents may know the basics of it all, but getting the sufficient knowledge about specifics can help when talking to your child about sexual health. Planned Parenthood's helpful resources can help Parent-Teen relationships, how to talk to kids about sex, how to delay teens from having sex, and most importantly keeping teen healthy.

Tools for Educators

Teaching about sex can be challenging, but the information given to students can benefit them in their everyday life and make the challenge worth the effort. Planned Parenthood offers help to start implementing sex eduction whether the school is ready to teach or you can only teach on a small scale. Planned Parenthood goes above and beyond than just providing information about how to implement sex education to young students. They offer activities pertaining to sexual health, lesson plans, books, manuals, pamphlets, videos, and research papers that provide analysis of various topics.

Volunteering

Planned Parenthood offers volunteering opportunities and there is no requirement to be a volunteer. Once approved to volunteer, you are intensely trained on topics such as abortion, abstinence rates, how the reproductive systems works, all about STD's and their effects and symptoms, and also trained how to talk to high school aged students about sexual activity. Planned Parenthood not only gives information about sexual health and the female and male reproductive system but also many other topics such as abstinence, how to talk to your parent about sex, single teen mothers, teen suicide and how to get through an abortion. A 24 hour hotline is also available for people who want information regarding any of the listed above.

Funding and Donations

This organization runs off government funds but counts on the donations of the public. Every little bit of donation counts. To donate you can go to a local office or you can go online and donate your desired amount. When donating online you can give a one time donation, or set up a monthly donation where the organization would take the amount of you choice every month until you cancel. The government donates, in forms of grants or contracts from beneficiaries, roughly 350 million a year which seems like a lot but barely covers what they need. Because Planned Parenthood is a non-profit organization, they rely on donations from other organizations to keep their heads above water. Some businesses do not donate because of what they think Planned Parenthood stands for but if further educated on more of what we offer it could potentially gain more donators. When you visit Planned Parenthood for any kind of service they will always ask if you want to donate, even a little amount such as $10 helps.

See also other local services & organizations.

References

Personal Interview with a Planned Parenthood Peer Counselor. 27 October 2011.

Other information from Planned Parenthood's Website.