Current presidential debates often mention Planned Parenthood, and how the government needs to defund it. The Republican party’s majority supports this idea, with candidates like Ted Cruz openly supporting the defunding of this helpful and much needed health care provider. Planned Parenthood sees women, often on low-income budgets, about their personal decisions on health, sex, and family planning.

Contrary to popular belief, women use Planned Parenthood for more than just pregnancy issues. They receive information about breast health and receive cancer screenings. According to the 2013-2014 Planned Parenthood annual report, their health centers provided more than 487,000 breast exams. Out of these exams, 87,988 cases of cancer or abnormalities were identified early. Taking away these health centers would force women without insurance to live not knowing about their body. Although Planned Parenthood helps women stay informed and receive crucial medical care, the main fight against it still involves abortions. The same report states that a mere three percent of patients went for abortion services.

To some, an abortion equates to killing a child. People like to say that the woman could always give the child up for adoption. Although this proves true, according to a AFCARS report there are 397,122 children in the U.S. living without a permanent home. Children living in foster homes often fall victim to many injustices. These children may deal with physical and emotional abuse as well as unnecessary psychotropic (mental health) medications. Everyone likes to speak out on what a woman should do, but when the country has hundreds of thousands of homeless children they suddenly go quiet. The Enrichment Journal states that once a fetus can self-sustain biological processes the medical community deems it a human being. Yet people seem to care more about a cluster of cells than an actual child suffering in the American foster system.

Not only has Planned Parenthood helped women across the country in person, they now made accessing their services easier and more crucial than ever. Their Chat/Text program allows teenagers to quickly reach out to specialists through their phone or computer. They reached 1.5 million young people through programs like this and other sex education, causing teen pregnancy, birth, and abortion rates to drop to their lowest level that they have reached in 20 years. Defunding Planned Parenthood proves a huge mistake, surely to push these numbers back up once more.

This giant political topic makes its way to social media. Many public figures are using the trending hashtag #StandWithPP to state their support of Planned Parenthood. Not only are presidential candidates tweeting about it, young people from all over the nation voice their opinion. People forget that teenagers often follow politics and should have a say in what will affect their near future. The upcoming generation must deal with the consequences of the next president.

In these election times, it seems as though primarily male figures are trying to control what a woman does with her body. Bill Nye says it best, “When it comes to women’s rights with respect to their reproduction, I think you should leave it to women.” In the end, a woman’s body remains something she should should be in sole control of, not having to fear that men in government could take away her right to critical medical care.