Health

Planned Parenthood: Not Just For Women

September 24th 2015

Planned Parenthood has been dominating headlines recently, cropping up in Republican primary debates, causing protests, and becoming the cause of another potential government shutdown. (and may have lead to the Speaker of the House, John Boehner, announcing his resignation.)

There's one aspect, however, that not enough people are talking about: men who go to Planned Parenthood. Activists and supporters contend that there are many misconceptions about Planned Parenthood and its services—especially around the topics of abortion, sex, and morality. But another skewed statistic is that the service strictly caters to women's health.

Related: Why Your Government Might Shut Down Over Planned Parenthood

Planned Parenthood doesn't provide gender breakdowns for the services it provides, but according to the organization's most recent annual report, some of its most-used services are unisex: from 2013 to 2014, more than 4.4 million men and women were given STI/STD testing or treatment, with thousands more men receiving vasectomies, cancer screening and prevention services, urinary tract infection treatments, and various other family practice services.

Planned Parenthood servicesPlanned Parenthood - issuu.com

The organization serves close to 3 million men and women each year, according to the most recent estimates. And while women's health and reproductive care often take center stage in debates, there are many important services offered for men's general and reproductive health—and many more should take note.

The services include routine physical exams, colon, prostate, and testicular cancer screenings, vasectomies, and erectile dysfunction services. Moreover, Planned Parenthood has been shown to provide much-needed services to low-income populations of both women and men. According to a recent Government Accountability Office report, nearly 80 percent of patients "had incomes at or below 150 percent of the federal poverty level."

Men's Planned Parenthood ServicesPro-Choice Liberals - dailykos.com

In a recent partnership between Planned Parenthood and the website Refinery29, musician Jack Antonoff appeared in a film titled "Men's Health," produced by Lena Dunham. In it, the songwriter wrestles with writing a song about the services Planned Parenthood offers to men. Check it out below.

Share your opinion

Should the government cut funding to Planned Parenthood?

Yes 6%No 94%