From: ilana@kiowa.scd.ucar.edu (Ilana Stern)
Subject: Myths and facts about Planned Parenthood
Organization: NCAR/UCAR
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1992 17:54:03 GMT

Planned Parenthood (PP), again, has been the subject of untruths and 
half-truths in this newsgroup, so I finally brought in the "Planned 
Parenthood Fact Book" published by Planned Parenthood of the Rocky 
Mountains (PPRM) (which encompasses clinics in Colorado, Missouri, New 
Mexico, West Virginia, and Wyoming.  Don't ask me why).  It's possible 
that what holds for PPRM doesn't hold for other PP clinics, but PPRM 
is affiliated with the national PP organization, so I suspect that they
are similar.

	MYTH:  "All that PP does is provide abortions."

The PP fact book lists the following services of PPRM:

Birth control:  Information about and sale of all birth control methods;
yearly exams and Pap smears; "Morning-after" pill; vasectomies; Norplant.

Pregnancy:  Pregnancy testing; counseling and referrals for all options,
including prenatal care, adoption, and abortion (except for clinics which
are funded with government money); "Smart Start" (first three months 
prenatal care); pregnancy sizing and prenatal vitamins.

Lab testing/screening:  Screening for cancer of the breasts and colon;
Pap smear followup; screening for high blood pressure, diabetes, 
hepatitis, and rubella; mobile mammography services.

STDs:  Testing and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases;  HIV
(AIDS) counseling and testing.

Services for men:  Screening for cancer of the testicles; testing and
treatment for sexually transmitted diseases.

Other services:  Treatment of vaginal infections; menopause services 
including hormones; referrals for other health problems.

	MYTH:  "PP encourages teens to have sex (with contraceptives) 
	rather than abstinence."

The PP fact book has, under the heading "Special Information for
Teens:"

"When you choose to have sex, you are making an important decision.
If you ever think you are being 'forced into it' or 'talked into it'
when you really don't want to, please talk to someone in the clinic
about this."

"It is safer for your health to use birth control than it is for you
to get pregnant.  It is even safer for you not to have sex at all."

"We encourage you to have someone outside the clinic you can talk to...
like one of your parents, another adult person in your family, or some
older person that you trust and like."

The section on birth control methods also has a subsection on
abstinence.  It lists these advantages:  it doesn't hurt your health
in any way, you don't need an exam to use it, it doesn't cost anything
and is always available, when you use it, you don't get pregnant or
get STDs, and most religions approve of it.  It lists these disadvantages:
You can get pregnant or get an STD if you don't use it.

	MYTH:  "PP doesn't include Natural Family Planning."

Yes, it does.  There's a subsection on Fertility Awareness in the birth
control section of the pamphlet.  The Boulder CO PPRM clinic, at least,
has a list of classes in FA that couples can take.

	HALF-TRUTH:  "PP is the USA's largest abortion provider."

Well, that's because PP is the only chain of gynecological clinics in
the US;  most abortion clinics have only one location.  The truth is
that many PP clinics (such as the Boulder clinic) don't provide
abortions at all -- they refer women who want abortions to other
clinics.  
			####

I hope this helps clear the name of Planned Parenthood!  If there are
any other questions I can answer, email me -- I'm going on vacation
August 21 and will likely not see postings after Friday afternoon.

-- 
/\        Ilana Stern DoD#009 | Whoever first said, "Things are seldom as they 
  \_][    ilana@ncar.ucar.edu | seem," was wrong.  Things are usually as they
      \_______________________| seem.  Otherwise, they wouldn't seem that way.
Newsgroups: talk.abortion