Mark Zuckerberg is not one of my favorite people by any stretch of the imagination, but donating over a billion dollars in Facebook shares since 2012 to the Silicon Valley Community Foundation to further “Support for families” “Health” and “Community Building” is a pretty selfless act. The SVCF has a strong relationship with Planned Parenthood, and obviously not all billion dollars is going to end up in the pockets of Planned Parenthood.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg
In 2013, Mark and his wife Priscilla donated an additional 18 million Facebook shares equating to 992 million dollars to SVCF. 480,000 was donated to Planned Parenthoods from Texas to California. In 2012 they donated 19 million shares to the same non profit. While not going into detail on the specifics of their donation, it will focus on children.
Why is it important that abortion clinics remain open and funded?
The obvious answer is, the return to unsafe procedures, and “back alley abortions” (Unsafe black market abortions provided to women who wanted or needed them before Roe Vs Wade). Another obvious reason is the educational benefits, and the distribution of birth control at no charge.
Prohibition in any form is only counter productive and turns innocent peaceful people into criminals by augmenting their behavior with threats of violence.
Abortion was legal before the Constitution was written.
Common law applied to abortion during the beginning of Independence in the Americas. Only prohibited after the “quickening” or when the mother could feel fetal movement in the womb. As the anti-abortion movement progressed the legislation was aimed at everyone from doctors, to Apothecaries (people who designed and sold potions to terminate pregnancy) all the way down to the woman who hired them.
Male doctors also considered midwives and women healers to be a threat to their own economic growth and social power. Men lobbied criminalize female choice in order to keep women safe from the potential outcomes of those choices.
Prohibition led to women learning skills necessary to help provide abortions to women who couldn’t obtain them anywhere else. A group known as “Jane” ran an illegal “floating” abortion clinic in Chicago during the 1960s and early 70s. They were raided once, and 7 people were arrested. The passing of Roe Vs Wade kept charges from being pressed, and their case was dismissed. They disbanded as their goal had been realized with the passing of Roe V Wade.
Planned Parenthood is Racist, and should be defunded.
It is a recognized fact that the founder of Planned Parenthood was a racist, but that does not mean that the entire organizations agenda is to kill the unborn children of minorities. In reality defunding abortion clinics places those same demographics into a more dangerous position of having to break the law in order to undergo a procedure that should be safe, sterile, and performed by trained professional staff. It also removes educational resources, and birth control options at no charge.
What would you want if it was your family?
If you or one of your family members wanted an abortion would you prefer a non sterile environment, with someone whose qualifications you can’t verify? Or would it be preferable to walk into a clean clinic, with a staff of professionals, and a sterile environment with the tools necessary for a safe procedure. Which ever option you choose, it’s your body and I’m not going to tell you what to do with it.
If you would like more information on the services provided by Planned Parenthood in Fresno, you can visit one of their 2 locations 650 N Fulton St and 6095 N First St
