Planned Parenthood Offers Gift Certificates
Categories: Just For Moms, Love & Sex, Safety, In The News
Looking for a special gift for that hard-to-buy-for, sexually-active female who lives in Indiana? How about a Planned Parenthood gift certificate? Available in values from $25 to $100, the certificates are good toward all clinic services including annual exams, pap smears, birth control and yes, abortions.
Not surprisingly, the gift certificate offer has some people really upset. "This campaign to offer lethal gift certificates that Planned Parenthood is engaging in right now is offensive," said Sister Diane Carollo, director of the Office for Pro-Life Ministry for the Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis. "And it's offensive because Christmas is about the celebration of human life."
In defense of the unusual idea, Planned Parenthood of Indiana's president and CEO, Betty Cockrum, says that this is a gift of health for women in tough economic times. "Women in particular are likely to forgo basic medical needs when faced with putting gas in their car or food on the table," she said.
Currently the gift certificates are only available Indiana, but Planned Parenthood chapters in Illinois, New York, Alaska and Michigan are considering similar programs. "It's about basic health care. It's about annual exams, it's about pap smears, it's about birth control," said Cockrum. "I would be amazed if a dime of it goes toward an abortion."
Not surprisingly, the gift certificate offer has some people really upset. "This campaign to offer lethal gift certificates that Planned Parenthood is engaging in right now is offensive," said Sister Diane Carollo, director of the Office for Pro-Life Ministry for the Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis. "And it's offensive because Christmas is about the celebration of human life."
In defense of the unusual idea, Planned Parenthood of Indiana's president and CEO, Betty Cockrum, says that this is a gift of health for women in tough economic times. "Women in particular are likely to forgo basic medical needs when faced with putting gas in their car or food on the table," she said.
Currently the gift certificates are only available Indiana, but Planned Parenthood chapters in Illinois, New York, Alaska and Michigan are considering similar programs. "It's about basic health care. It's about annual exams, it's about pap smears, it's about birth control," said Cockrum. "I would be amazed if a dime of it goes toward an abortion."
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
lsmz 12-09-2008 @ 11:50AM
what are you thinking we have eonght problems with our teen not telling us every thing but to go to a clinic and have anything done like an abortion. im a family person i would raise the grandchild then not to know it at all
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Sarah 12-09-2008 @ 3:02PM
As a single mother of 2, trying to survive on a parttime paycheck, I worry about my kids healthcare more than my own. I LIVE right across from a Planned Parenthood and havent had the money to take care of my own health needs in over 3years. At the age of 34, Im about due for a mamogram, I'm WAY past due for a pap smear or any kind of gynecological exam. I think the idea of gift certificates is a FANTASTIC idea, and cannot wait for them to reach my state.
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LS 12-09-2008 @ 4:53PM
There's an easy way for PP to avoid controversy in this. Simply make the gift certificates not applicable toward abortions. Then they truly can say that they're only in the interest of women's health. Plenty of other places that offer gift certificates place limitations on them, so can PP.
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Kristie 12-11-2008 @ 11:07PM
"LS" took the words right out of my mouth and said what I was thinking -exclude using the gift certificates for abortion purposes and the problem will be solved. Further more, I don't agree with Cockrun's statement -her belief that no one will use them for having abortions. I believe she is being naive...I know times are tough
(-heck, they are for me anyway), but as said earlier -THIS IS THE SEASON FOR CELEBRATING LIFE -not the ending of one/many. Being healthy is what we all want. I know women and girls who are negatively affected by their consequences of having an abortion, and I'd hate to know it would happen to another because of these certificates...DO THE RIGHT THING.
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misty 12-16-2008 @ 2:27PM
The gift certificates are a great idea. Abortion will always be a touchy subject- that said- If women has access to birth control it would eliminate the number of abortions each year. Many women put their health on the back burner 1-because they have to in order to put food on the table and keep the lights on and 2- because they are making sure their families are taken care of. Not everyone in this country is fortunate enough to have health care and I don't know what I would do if I had to support my child on minimum wage with insurance- although people are doing it every day. Planned Parenthood (in my state) does NOT offer abortions. We do have a local abortion clinic, and they have a "roe fund" to help women that can't afford the procedure. AND females in my state also have to have parental consent or be 18 years old to have an abortion. In my personal opinion, the gift certificates would most likely be used for pap smears & birth control; however, I am sure that a few of them would help pay for an abortion. Either way, it is a very personal decision and with or without the gift card the girl/woman will most likely find a way to terminate the pregnancy if that is what she has made her mind up to do. SO- I say, pass out the gift cards until our birth control and yearly exams are FREE. If you're afraid your gift card will be used towards an abortion, don't purchase one. ... but then you may want to reconsider giving the gift of cash. Planned Parenthood takes that as well.
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michael powell 12-18-2008 @ 10:00PM
Planned Parenthood is about making money. They make money on taxpayers which fund abortions. By Planned Parenthoods own figures between 95 to 98% are performed because the pregnency is unwanted. I'll be happy when this lack of taking personal responsibility is addressed. if you don't want kids, don't have sex. if you have sex, use birth control. Restrict the gift certificates to providing those means to prevent the pregnency so we don't kill any more babies......".a person is a person, no matter how small."
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misty 12-20-2008 @ 11:04PM
i can agree with you to an extent; however, birth control should be accessible and affordable for everyone- and right now, it is not. People spend too much time pushing their personal religious beliefs onto women and their bodies- the same people saying- no abortion are usually the same people saying 'no plan b', no sex ed in school, pharmacists should not have to fill prescriptions if it violates their personal beliefs... etc. I wish everyone would let women make their own personal decision and deal with the repercussions on their own. If birth control were free we would def have less people on welfare and less unwanted pregnancies. Maybe one day both sides can find some common ground...
misty 12-20-2008 @ 11:07PM
also i forgot to mention, I agree with 'don't want kids, don't have sex' but I am thinking you and I are 2 responsible adults that obviously know the consequences of unprotected sex... I think parents need to also take some personal responsibility and talk with their teens about sex and not assume they already know everything...