Planned Parenthood plays an integral role in providing affordable reproductive healthcare and education all across the nation. To find out more about what Planned Parenthood looks like in your state, keep reading.
How many Planned Parenthood clinics are in your state?
Due to recent budget cuts, Planned Parenthood clinics have been shutting down rapidly all across the country. Clinics in poorer, rural areas have been eliminated the fastest; this means that those living in these areas are at a complete disadvantage to getting the reproductive healthcare they need. Often people living in these areas don’t have the time, money, or other resources to get to clinics in the city, which is why cutting down on clinics is so detrimental.
To see exactly how many clinics are in your state, and where they are located, go here.
Do all clinics offer the same services?
The link above will also show you what services the clinics nearest you can provide. Not all clinics have the funds or other resources to perform the same services. For example, some clinics are able to provide general healthcare practitioners, like the Birmingham Center in Alabama, while others, like the Mobile Center in Alabama, are not. Other clinics are able to offer “abortion referrals.” This means that the clinic itself can not give you an abortion, but they can guide you to a different place that is able to perform the procedure. LGBT services also vary by clinic.
What about abortion access?
Thirty-nine out of the 50 states require minors to notify a parent of their abortion at Planned Parenthood, typically at least 48 hours before the procedure. Some minors can be pardoned by a judge to not tell their parents, but this is still a huge risk to take for a pregnant minor who could be endangered or harassed if their parents or community find out about the abortion.
The states that require absolutely no parental consent for a minor to have an abortion are as follows:
- California
- Connecticut
- Washington DC
- Hawaii
- Maine
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- Oregon
- Vermont
- Washington
For more information about parental consent and abortion in your state, check here.
As mentioned previously, Planned Parenthood clinics and other specific abortion providers have been closing down rapidly, particularly in rural areas in the South. This map shows the devastating lack of access to safe abortions in the South, and the number of women possibly affected by this issue.
How much do Planned Parenthood services cost?
According to their 2013-2014 annual report, Planned Parenthood is funded mostly through “government health services grants and reimbursements,” and through private donations. These funds are what make Planned Parenthood able to provide affordable, sometimes free, services to their patients. Costs vary by clinic and by appointment, but generally, your services will come to little to no cost (especially if you don’t have insurance).
This is another reason why cutting federal funding to Planned Parenthood clinics is so dangerous; it not only shuts down clinics, it also makes it harder for Planned Parenthood services to be so inexpensive and accessible.
One in 5 women in the US has been to a Planned Parenthood clinic at least once. Planned Parenthood provides both reproductive and general healthcare and education to those who are unable to get it anywhere else. If you are interested in helping Planned Parenthood continue to thrive, you can volunteer here, or donate here.
How has Planned Parenthood helped you or someone you know? Let me know in the comments below.
Cover image courtesy of Shutterstock.
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