Planned Parenthood has publicly stated that medication abortions are the preferred method of most women, as they are less intrusive, and considerably more private. However, the “Des Moines Register” believes that the surgical option is being overlooked due to misconceptions about the pain, bleeding, and invasive-ness of the procedure. The truth as the “Des Moines Register” reports it is that medication-induced abortions are far worse, being more protracted, uncomfortable, and causing bleeding for up to two weeks for most women who choose this method. Also, women who choose this method may see the child’s body pass in their own toilet, rather than having a quick and formal surgical abortion that prevents such discomforts.
The real question that the “Register” has failed to ask is: how many abortions, either medication-induced or surgical, has Planned Parenthood prevented through their birth control services and sexual health education? Though the gruesome details of abortions make for better readerships for cheesy tabloids like the “Register,” the truth is that Planned Parenthood is first and foremost interested in caring for people, and helping them to PLAN for eventual PARENTHOOD. Plan, as in prevent, until the time is right. Planned Parenthood is interested in preventing the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases, providing affordable or free services to community members who live below the poverty line, and assisting those with surgical medical needs.
In addition to critically analyzing practices that Planned Parenthood necessarily offers, by public demand, to local communities, the “Register” has also stepped on their own feet. Initially supporting Planned Parenthood in an opinion piece about telemedicine and abortion, the “Register” back-stepped when their conservative readership ignited and threatened to cancel subscriptions. This caused the newspaper to swallow its pride, swallow it’s true opinion, and write what the local nay-sayers would have them write. Is that true journalism? Since when does a newspaper care about public interest? I thought they were all bought by Big Business, already!


