What part of 'planned' do they not understand?

Lawmakers are to be congratulated for defeating an amendment that would have blocked Federal funding to Planned Parenthood. Blame Indiana Republican Mike Pence for the amendment, which specifically targeted Planned Parenthood by name, and tried to forbid the Department of Labor, Health and Human Services from giving them funds. Luckily, the Democratic majority shut the amendment down easily.

Sometimes I think some fundamentalist Christians have a translation device in their brains. Someone may say "family planning", but they hear "abortion". The two words get magically conflated. Just to clarify: the two are not the same. Family planning includes information about birth control, sexual health, and (believe it or not) pregnancy care as well as abortions. Planned Parenthood does worlds of good for teens and poor couples that can't afford birth control otherwise. They help with the sexual safety education that the government has been remiss in providing of late. They provide cheap pregnancy monitoring and advice about how to have a healthy pregnancy. When I was in college, I volunteered in a counseling agency for teens, and we regularly referred teens in need to Planned Parenthood. Often parents in denial are reluctant to buy birth control for a teen, or teens are afraid to confess that they may have an STD to an adult. Planned Parenthood is a resource for both of these problems, and teens are often almost ridiculously grateful for a place where they're sure that they won't be condemned for their sexual choices. Planned Parenthood prevents and treats more STDs than any other group I know of. I'd hate to see the country's sexual health situation without it. From my acquaintance with the group, abortion advising is only a minuscule part of the good work that they do.