Is it wrong to use Planned Parenthood?

  • Thread starter Thread starter bdjohnbg
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
B

bdjohnbg

Guest
I have been being followed by my OB/GYN for a medical problem, and am supposed to be getting checkups done every 3-6 months.

Because of my child’s medical issues, my hours at work were severely cut for a while, and as a result I lost my medical insurance. Even though I am able to work full time again currently, it will be a minimum of six months before I am eligible for insurance again.

In the mean time, it has been six months since the last checkup, and my OB/GYN is recommending I go to Planned Parenthood to be followed until my insurance is reinstated. The services I would be receiving are not for birth control or in any way related.

I am weary of going though, because I know that I would have to pay a small amount of money for their services (since they offer a sliding fee scale), and I feel as though it is wrong to be contributing to them financially.

I am unsure of what I should do. Would it be wrong to go? Does anyone have any other suggestions?
 
Why not use a regular clinic that provides more than their limited services?
 
I would advise againsst it. You would be materially supporting an abortion provider.
 
Do not go. And consider getting another OB/GYN, one who does not recommend abortion providers.
 
It is unfortunate that your regular doctor is unwilling to negotiate a reduced fee (if there are outside labs, everyone will need to be negotiated with).

Perhaps you could look up a pro-life doctor at One More Soul and explain your situation. They might be willing to negotiate a reduced fee or payment plan so you don’t have to go to PP.
 
Your health is important.

You cannot track the money you give them. For all you know it could go to an abortion. Or it could pay for the treatment you had. Or the electricity bill.

It’s not certain it’ll go for an abortion. But what is certain is your health may suffer if you do not go. And you have children. We don’t know what your health concern is, but if you fail to find an alternative and can only go to PP - is it worth the risk of denying your children of a mother for the sake of “my money might be used for an abortion?”

It is always better to save a life that is certain (you) than to save a life that’s a maybe (whether or not an abortion happens as a result). That might not be Catholic, but it’s what life teaches you.
 
LemonAndLime said:
Your health is important.

You cannot track the money you give them. For all you know it could go to an abortion. Or it could pay for the treatment you had. Or the electricity bill.

It’s not certain it’ll go for an abortion. But what is certain is your health may suffer if you do not go. And you have children. We don’t know what your health concern is, but if you fail to find an alternative and can only go to PP - is it worth the risk of denying your children of a mother for the sake of “my money might be used for an abortion?”

It is always better to save a life that is certain (you) than to save a life that’s a maybe (whether or not an abortion happens as a result). That might not be Catholic, but it’s what life teaches you.
Click to expand...
The Catholic faith also teaches that evil cannot be done to obtain an outcome of good. Nobody is telling the OP to risk her life, and the OP never said that her life is in danger if she doesn’t get a check-up. But we know that Planned Parenthood doesn’t provide “health care” services - certainly not mammograms. And you will not see a doctor who is not an abortionist there. And we know that lives are truly at risk every day at Planned Parenthood - the lives of the innocent unborn.
 
LemonAndLime said:
Your health is important.

You cannot track the money you give them. For all you know it could go to an abortion. Or it could pay for the treatment you had. Or the electricity bill.

It’s not certain it’ll go for an abortion. But what is certain is your health may suffer if you do not go. And you have children. We don’t know what your health concern is, but if you fail to find an alternative and can only go to PP - is it worth the risk of denying your children of a mother for the sake of “my money might be used for an abortion?”

It is always better to save a life that is certain (you) than to save a life that’s a maybe (whether or not an abortion happens as a result). That might not be Catholic, but it’s what life teaches you.
Click to expand...
Actually, the OP’s money would go toward a part of the service she receives and PP would obtain the rest of the money for this service from government grants or private donations.

The OP just dislikes approaching an abortion provider for any service.
 
I would stay away from them, no matter what. Look at it this way: Let’s temporarily concede, for the sake of argument, that PP does provide non-abortion Women’s Health services. Al Capone opened soup kitchens during the Great Depression. Does that absolve him of complicity in the Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre, or his other numerous crimes? Absolutely not! So it is with PP. They may well offer those services, but they also help to murder thousands every year.
 
Of course you can go to Planned Parenthood for your health care. The care you are seeking is not problematic from the perspective of Catholic teaching.

This woman needs health care, and the best option for her is to go to Planned Parenthood, it appears. She can do so in good conscience if she is not seeking services that violate the teaching of the Church.

This is the real world, folks. You can try to avoid doing business with sinners, but in the real world that is not always possible. If you go to a secular hospital, you can be pretty sure that the hospital will provide reproductive services (abortions, sterilization, in vitro fertilization, etc.) of which the Church does not approve. Would you tell her to avoid the Mayo Clinic, Massachusetts General Hospital, and other top-notch hospitals and medical centers? I doubt it. Don’t let your politics interfere with sound judgment.
 
bdjohnbg said:
I have been being followed by my OB/GYN for a medical problem, and am supposed to be getting checkups done every 3-6 months.

Because of my child’s medical issues, my hours at work were severely cut for a while, and as a result I lost my medical insurance. Even though I am able to work full time again currently, it will be a minimum of six months before I am eligible for insurance again.

In the mean time, it has been six months since the last checkup, and my OB/GYN is recommending I go to Planned Parenthood to be followed until my insurance is reinstated. The services I would be receiving are not for birth control or in any way related.

I am weary of going though, because I know that I would have to pay a small amount of money for their services (since they offer a sliding fee scale), and I feel as though it is wrong to be contributing to them financially.

I am unsure of what I should do. Would it be wrong to go? Does anyone have any other suggestions?
Click to expand...
Have you considered contacting a midwife or birthing center? They often offer well woman checks and health services for a fraction of the cost of an OB and will work with you to pay.

Have you checked into Christian health sharing programs such as Samaritans Ministries? I have a friend who uses Samaritans and she loves it.
 
Don’t go there. There has to be a legitimate clinic that can help you. Is your doctor recommending a specific doctor that works there or that you just go there for a referral? The PPs around here don’t provide any medical services at all, just referrals. I don’t know what follow up procedures you have to have, but it sounds unusual that your doctor would recommend you going there rather than see you himself. Does he actually know a doctor that works there that he is recommending or did he just suggest that as an alternative since you can’t offer him the price he wants? I would follow the advice of others and look into other clinics. Despite what they say, PP isn’t really a place to get legitimate, quality medical care.
 
bdjohnbg said:
I have been being followed by my OB/GYN for a medical problem, and am supposed to be getting checkups done every 3-6 months.

Because of my child’s medical issues, my hours at work were severely cut for a while, and as a result I lost my medical insurance. Even though I am able to work full time again currently, it will be a minimum of six months before I am eligible for insurance again.

In the mean time, it has been six months since the last checkup, and my OB/GYN is recommending I go to Planned Parenthood to be followed until my insurance is reinstated. The services I would be receiving are not for birth control or in any way related.

I am weary of going though, because I know that I would have to pay a small amount of money for their services (since they offer a sliding fee scale), and I feel as though it is wrong to be contributing to them financially.

I am unsure of what I should do. Would it be wrong to go? Does anyone have any other suggestions?
Click to expand...
If you can PM me or something with the service you actually seeking during this time, I will be happy to do some research for you, and try to find a pregnancy center, free clinic, Medicaid supplement or some such thing for you in your area. I can’t imagine PP being the correct answer to any question. I stand in front of one for at least 2 hours every week, and pray the Rosary with friends. They are just there to make money on evil. They don’t serve a medical purpose in any community that I am aware of, and there should be an alternative to this in virtually any situation, but would need a little more info. In the mean time, may God bless and keep you. I will pray for your situation.

Blessings,

Steven
 
Allegra said:
Don’t go there. There has to be a legitimate clinic that can help you. Is your doctor recommending a specific doctor that works there or that you just go there for a referral? The PPs around here don’t provide any medical services at all, just referrals. I don’t know what follow up procedures you have to have, but it sounds unusual that your doctor would recommend you going there rather than see you himself. Does he actually know a doctor that works there that he is recommending or did he just suggest that as an alternative since you can’t offer him the price he wants? I would follow the advice of others and look into other clinics. Despite what they say, PP isn’t really a place to get legitimate, quality medical care.
Click to expand...
I am going to have to agree with this. My husband went to a community health clinic (a walk in one) and services for pretty cheap when he was uninsured. In fact since he was a male and needed a comprehensive exam he couldn’t go to a PP. So obviously there are clinics out there who provide services on a sliding scale for all those who don’t need or qualify for the services that PP provides. There are other places that will provide health care on a sliding scale other than PP.
 
Alan55 said:
This is the real world, folks. You can try to avoid doing business with sinners, but in the real world that is not always possible. If you go to a secular hospital, you can be pretty sure that the hospital will provide reproductive services (abortions, sterilization, in vitro fertilization, etc.) of which the Church does not approve. Would you tell her to avoid the Mayo Clinic, Massachusetts General Hospital, and other top-notch hospitals and medical centers? I doubt it. Don’t let your politics interfere with sound judgment.
Click to expand...
The comparison of Planned Parenthood with hospitals is not really fair. Planned Parenthood is an organization whose primary aim is to murder as many unborn children as possible, and all their actions speak to that aim. PP actively promotes the pro-abortion ideology and will use any means to have abortion viewed as a positive facet of “women’s health care”.

Hospitals are there to heal people, and I’d guess that many more babies are born at hospitals than are murdered there. At least in a hospital setting, the poor woman undergoing abortion has a fighting chance if any medical complications arise from the murder in progress. And many people do have the option of choosing a Catholic hospital, which at least in some dioceses, means that the dignity of all human life is respected from the time of conception until natural death.
 
Thank you, everyone, for your replies.

The specific procedures I need for follow up care will (hopefully) only be pap exams. I have had to have several biopsies and had a LEEP procedure to remove precancerous cells. Obviously, the hope is that no more abnormal cells will return, but my doctor wants me to continue being followed (and have additional biopsies when necessary), especially since there is a history of cancer in my family. She recommended the Planned Parenthood Clinic because they offer these services on a sliding fee scale. (I don’t have a large income. I make little enough that my sons qualify for Medicaid, but just enough that I, myself, do not.)

My OB/GYN is through St. John’s here in the Saint Louis area, and has told me that without insurance I cannot be seen there (except for emergency services). I will check with St. Mary’s and St. Joe’s to see if they are willing to see me/work out a payment plan of some sort.

I honestly just don’t want to see my money supporting Planned Parenthood or any of the other “Family Planning” clinics in the area, because of the fact that they provide abortion services. I feel like I would be inadvertently supporting a cause I do not believe in.

I have considered holding off for the six month wait for my insurance, but between my mother pressuring me to just go to the clinic, and the fact that I do not know for sure that my insurance will be reinstated due to several factors that could influence it, I came to the point where I have been considering the clinic.

I will definitely check out the other hospitals in the area to see if something can be arranged, though. Thank you all so much!
 
If you are in the Saint Louis area you could see if there is a clinic from this org near you.

Or this org also appears to provide services for the uninsured and are present over much of the state.

I hope this helps. Sometimes we just don’t know where to look, but google and the phone are your friend. 👍
 
St Louis has SEVERAL doctors that are NFP-only , practicing Catholic that would help you out… PM me for details.
 
I get what bothers you here but please don’t sacrifice your health to prove a point.

Yes, she can look into other options - but what if this is the only one that can work for her? It’s naive to just assume that there’s something perfect out there. Life doesn’t always work that way.

So by all means, look, but if it comes down to this or nothing, please go.
 
NFP-Only doctors

The following are family medicine and OB/GYN doctors who practice medicine in accordance with the teachings of the Catholic Church. These doctors have an understanding of the Creighton Model FertiltyCare System and NaPro Technology and are currently taking new patients:

•

Dr. Richard Brennan

, St. Gianna Obstetrics and Gynecology, locations at SSM St. Clare Hospital in Fenton, South St. Louis County and Waterloo, Ill. Visit giannaobgyn.com

•

Drs. Peter Danis and Jared Wojnicki

, Mercy Family Medicine; 12860 Olive Blvd. in Creve Coeur; (314) 251-8888

•

Drs. Michael Dixon and Brian Gosser

, St. Gerard Obstetrics and Gynecology; St. Anthony’s Medical Center, 10004 Kennerly Road, Suite 386, in South St. Louis County; (314) 842-7910

•

**Dr. Brooke Jemelka

, an NFP provider at St. John’s Mercy Medical Center’s John F. Kennedy Memorial Outpatient Clinic, which provides low-cost services to uninsured and underinsured patients. For more information, call (314) 251-6382

•**

Dr. Rustico Ramos

, family medicine at BJC Parkland Health Center, 1005 W. Liberty St. in Farmington; (573) 756-7844

•

Dr. Christine Salter

, family medicine at the Center for Vibrant Health and Wellness, 1034 South Brentwood Blvd., Suite 505, in Brentwood; (314) 361-0111

There are other doctors who are trained in using other methods of natural family planning, or who might not be accepting new patients at this time. For a complete listing, see

www.onemoresoul.com.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top