Federal money should not contribute to Planned Parenthood because of the controversy surrounding the organization, and because not everyone supports the beliefs of it.

Planned Parenthood funds many Democratic candidates, so taxpayers’ dollars indirectly fund a political party they may not align with, according to the Center for Responsive Politics research group in 2013. This study showed Planned Parenthood donated half a million dollars to only Democratic politicians.

Currently, the United States has 13,540 comprehensive health care centers designated for women in need, compared to only 665 Planned Parenthood clinics. By defunding Planned Parenthood, this money could go toward funding health clinics, which provide a wider range of services that do not include abortions, such as mammograms and sexual health education.

According to Planned Parenthood’s corporate reports, the number of breast exams, a main form of detection of breast cancer, went down from approximately 2 million in 2011 to 936,000 in 2013, while the number of abortions grew more than 50 percent, to account for 37 percent of their revenue.

Additionally, Cecile Richards said the organization has never provided mammograms, the x-ray form of a breast cancer screening, as it does not have the equipment to do so. This contrasts with previous claims by the organization stating it did perform this service. 

Although Planned Parenthood has great features, like helping those in need with birth control, STI testing and pregnancy tests, it remains the nation’s largest provider of abortions, according to the Heidi Group, a pro-life organization.

According to Steven Calvin, a perinatologist who teaches obstetrics at the University of Minnesota, a fetus can feel pain because of the presence of neural pathways. 

American tax dollars should not fund an organization that murders helpless babies that can feel pain, can recognize voices and sounds and have a complex neurological system. 

Congress should defund Planned Parenthood because the actions of this organization are controversial and Americans’ tax dollars should not support an organization that ends lives of helpless children.