By: Olivia King

Planned Parenthood is currently under the national spotlight; the question of whether or not to fund it has been the subject of heated debate in recent months.  Some people in this country, who have always been able to afford healthcare, have a problem with the federal funding of planned parenthood because of its abortion services. But here’s the thing: I know abortion is a sticky subject, and while I’m pro-choice and think it’s an important aspect of Planned Parenthood, the organization does so much more than that.

The federal government doesn’t even fund their abortions, which make up only 3% of their services overall. Which to be honest, a lot of people don’t seem to understand. Planned Parenthood provides healthcare for women who can’t afford it, saving lives through their breast cancer screenings, treatment for cervical cancer, and other services. An annual pap smear exam and results could cost up to $500 dollars for a woman without health insurance, but Planned Parenthood offers a discounted rate of $175. Many people simply cannot afford healthcare’s steep charges and Planned Parenthood offers services in abortion, birth control, emergency contraception, general health care, HIV testing, LGBT services, men’s health care, pregnancy testing and services, STD testings with treatments and vaccines, and women’s health care. Not only do they provide these services to men, women, and teens, but the Planned Parenthood Action website deals with things from Medicaid and sexual assault to healthcare for immigrants and birth control.

Planned Parenthood provides nonjudgmental legal, helpful, and affordable services for women, men, and teens, and yet they are only safe with funding until December 11th, 2015. Trying to shut it down because it provides abortion services is frankly ridiculous; it is clearly another attempt of men in government trying to tell women what to do with their bodies.

Even if you do not believe in abortion, even if you think it’s horrible and has to stop immediately, you cannot keep attacking Planned Parenthood. It’s more than just abortion- it’s healthcare many lower to middle class people depend on in this country to stay healthy. And yet, here we are anyway, debating if we should keep supporting an organization that is so important to so many people.

I have to ask myself why people are so opposed to Planned Parenthood, and all I can really come up with is the underlying layers of sexism and classism in this country. People have even gone as far as to obtain bits of audio from workers at Planned Parenthood and take them out of context to make the organization look bad. They also face scrutiny from people in regards to to why the President of Planned Parenthood is making so much money and why she can’t just use her salary to fund Planned Parenthood, which is ridiculous. She is the president of a huge organization and does good work for Planned Parenthood and their clients. Why shouldn’t she make money? Would she had been faced with the same question if she were a man? And why do some people have such a problem with the federal funding of an organization that helps people? My opinion is the same as before: sexism and classism are embedded in our culture. The people in this country who cannot see Planned Parenthood for what it is (a helpful, affordable alternative for healthcare for those who can’t afford it, because hey! Guess what! Not everyone can afford it!) need to take a step back and realize that not everyone America has the same privileges as they do and need organizations like Planned Parenthood to support them and their families.

By: Ananya Murthy

On Friday, September 25th, John Boehner (R-Ohio), Speaker of the House, announced his resignation from Congress. Conservatives were pressuring Boehner, a Republican, to take a harder line on their causes, most recently defunding Planned Parenthood as part of a package that would keep the government open. By resigning, Boehner has decreased the chances of yet another government shutdown. Boehner made it clear that the House will vote next week on a clean spending bill to keep the government open through mid-December while broader  negotiations on spending levels are held and then move on budget reconciliation legislation where both repealing the Affordable Care Act and stripping Planned Parenthood of funding will be considered.

Boehner’s main reason for resignation was this increasing pressure placed on him since the beginning of his time as House Speaker in 2010. Boehner has been pressured throughout his tenure to push for deeper spending cuts and more aggressive policy changes than were possible with President Obama in the White House. He seemed to decide that resigning, and leaving an exhausting position, was better than facing a humiliating fight within his own party. Additionally, he cites his meeting with Pope Francis, just the day before, as an event that spurred him on and gave him the confidence to leave. Many people were sad to see him go – although nearly none of them were Republicans.

Nancy Pelosi (D-Cal.), the Democratic leader in the House, called Boehner’s resignation “seismic for the House” and called it evidence of the far right’s “hijacking” of the Republican Party. “God knows what’s next over there,” she told staff members. Ms. Pelosi, who had been privately negotiating on a plan to keep the government open, told reporters that Mr. Boehner’s resignation was “a stark indication of the disarray of House Republicans.” She says she continues to negotiate directly with Boehner to achieve her goal of funding Planned Parenthood. President Barack Obama also commented on Boehner’s resignation, remarking that Boehner was a good man and a patriot, and that while their views differed Boehner had “always conducted himself with civility and courtesy with me.” Many other Democrats mourn Boehner’s decision, as he will most likely be replaced with a far more conservative member of the Republican party.

Some Republicans did support Boehner, like House Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), his party’s 2012 vice presidential nominee,  said Friday he didn’t want Boehner’s job. “This was an act of pure selflessness. John’s decades of service have helped move our country forward, and I deeply value his friendship,” Ryan said in a statement. Rep. Richard Nugent (R-Fla.) also applauded Boehner’s selflessness, saying “Obviously the pope had a big impact on him. That’s about the most selfless act I’ve sever seen, willing to step down to save this country and save this nation.” Others felt otherwise, like Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who implied that Boehner’s resignation was a chance for new, more powerful leadership. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) also criticized Boehner’s tenure, without mentioning him, by saying that “I have long called on Republican leadership to do something unusual, which is lead. Go actually stand up and honor the commitments that we made to the American people.”

It looks as if anyone could replace Boehner, although it seems that Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Cal.) is a frontrunner. He is much more receptive to the Tea Party members of the GOP compared to Boehner. Rep. John Boehner will officially leave his position as Speaker of the House at the end of October. We can only hope that his replacement will be as rational as he was.