I don't want to derail shame and comedy much further, but I have to weigh in here.
Hopefully Planned Parenthood will never be "done", until there's either a functional national health care system or some other way for women in Yankistan to obtain medical care.
I disagree with the position that PP is the only source for women's health services in the US.
I am a strong supporter of sex education and birth control. I am less enamored with, but do not completely oppose, abortion because it terminates life. Abortion is an appropriate option in some cases but it should be used judiciously. Abortion is a surgical procedure with the real possibility of significant complications. It is much better to prevent conception in the first place.
I do not believe that the original poster said that PP is the only source for women's health services in the US. There are obviously other sources. The question is whether those sources are nearby, accessible & affordable.
I think the vast majority of people who support abortion being legally accessible would also prefer options are available to people who want to use them which prevent conception in the first place. Abortion of course is not just for unwanted pregnancies, but also for desired pregnancies which have medical complications.
"Abortion should be used judiciously." Absolutely. And can we let individuals make that decision?
Let me tell you a story. My friend was pregnant with a desperately wanted second child. Several weeks in, she discovered that the fetus had stopped growing. Either she could wait for her body to do the work and risk serious infection, or take action. The doctor gave her the option of a d&c or prescription medication. She chose prescription, and went to pick it up that evening. So there she was, devastated, waiting in line at a busy Walgreens with her 5-year-old, trying to hold her shit together so as not to scare her daughter. And the pharmacist said he would not fill her prescription because of his personal conviction against abortion. She had wanted this child. She wanted to carry it to term. She's already grieving the loss of her pregnancy, and now this man's personal conviction is forcing her to jump through another set of hoops just to protect her health. There was no other pharmacist available to fill the prescription. They had to send it across town, and place the burden on my friend to figure out how she would get there. She did get the prescription the next morning from a different pharmacy, but not after suffering the indignity of being refused at her most vulnerable time.
Another story. My best friends in the world tried to get pregnant for 8 years. And finally, it happened. She was carrying a baby boy. She was thrilled. And then at 20 weeks, she discovered that he had unsurvivable birth defects (limb-body wall). She might be able carry him to term, but he definitely would not survive once delivered. There was no surgery to intervene, no way to save him. The couple was devastated. Since they live in a state with few restrictions, her own OB was able to perform the procedure, and she was able to grieve and recover quietly with minimal fuss. If she had lived in a state with restrictive abortion laws, she would have to go through a waiting period, an independent" ultrasound, would potentially have had to travel for hours to access a provider, would have had to walk through a wall of protesters with gory billboards spouting abuse at her.
Let's work to reduce the need for abortions by providing great birth control and sex education. Let's work to make sure all babies can be supported so that no one has to get an abortion for purely financial reasons. Let's be compassionate to those who need to access abortion services. And let's also remember that abortion is a medical procedure that saves women's lives.
Phew. OK. ANd now let's get back to ridiculing the non-frugal.