TEACHING SOCIAL JUSTICE ISSUES… I am ALL for it!

Although it is a difficult subject to teach in schools because you must be careful with what you say and how you say it regarding the issue you are discussing, I think it is an amazing thing to teach in schools. Yes, it is a difficult task to accomplish, but with the right teacher and the right motivation I think it can be done. As long as teachers do not push their beliefs on the issues they are discussing I think that social justice issues can make for great class discussions. Everyone has their own opinion on issues and the younger students learn this, the more they will be respectful of other people’s beliefs later in life.

I love the following quote because it relates to my topic on Planned Parenthood regarding individual choices and why I believe social justice issues should be taught in schools.

“Struggle for social justice is central to our nation’s history…Concerns about the common good and the rights of the individual, no matter how humble in social standing, transcends politics and holds a definitive place in the realms of morality, ethics and federal law, and therefore in the world of teaching social studies.”

Like I said before, by teaching social just from a young age students will learn the responsibilities they have as an individual and that everyone has their own opinions and beliefs which should be respected, whether they support them or not.

Service Learning

     B.

For my discussion, I will have the class fill out a survey of what they know about Planned Parenthood at the very beginning of the discussion. Then I will provide the class with information about Planned Parenthood and statistics about their health care services and the amount of people that use their services and have benefited from them. I will then have a class discussion about the issue allowing the class to formulate questions, concerns, and comments they may have. If the class gets stuck I will have back-up questions to help keep the discussion moving. Once the discussion is complete, I will have the class take the survey again to see the difference from before and after the discussion. For my service learning project, I will provide links for the class to write letters to congress about Planned Parenthood funding and why the government should provide funding or why they should not provide funding, depending on the individuals belief about Planned Parenthood.

 

D.

     The following information was obtained at… http://www.womenarewatching.org/ (Thanks Anneliese)

I support Planned Parenthood and I signed a pledge to let politicians know that we are watching, which is to make politicians know that we will hold them accountable for women’s health. After the most aggressive legislative assault on women’s health in a generation, it’s up to us to take action to ensure that protecting women’s health is a priority in 2012. Women will determine the fate of this election and the ballot box is where we can and will make a difference. I felt great after signing this pledge, and I know this will make a lot of people pretty mad, but I support the beliefs Planned Parenthood holds and I think every individual should have the right to their own health care choices and that everyone should have the ability to access health care. I feel strongly with Planned Parenthood’s mission to provide health care to every individual and by signing the pledge to show politicians that we will not sit quietly while they attack our health and our rights, was one way for me to get involved and show my support to the organization. Taking the pledge connects with democratic values because as an individual you have the responsibility to vote and support what you feel strongly about and Planned Parenthood is one that I fully support. If you would like to support Planned Parenthood and sign the pledge, please visit the link above.

Critical Attributes

A.

·         Healthcare is the critical attribute of Planned Parenthood because it is what Planned Parenthood stands for.

·         Informational Knowledge about Planned Parenthood:

o   Healthcare specialists

o   Pro-choice advocates

o   Locations across the country

Procedural Knowledge about Planned Parenthood:

o   The physicians at Planned Parenthood provide exams, screenings, education and counseling to patients.

o   Physicians provide annual exams, cancer screenings, especially for breast and cervical cancer, vaccinations, including flu shots and Gardasil, the preventative of HPV virus, educational programs which enhance understanding of individual and societal implications of human sexuality, and abuse counseling for patients.

o   Planned Parenthood is a pro-choice organization, meaning they believe in the fundamental right of each individual, throughout the world, to manage his or her fertility, regardless of the individual's income, marital status, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, national origin, or residence.

o   They advocate public policies which guarantee these rights and ensure access to such services.

o   They have nearly 800 health centers located throughout the United States that provide services to both men and women.

·         The concepts regarding Planned Parenthood are obviously extremely controversial and it is often a difficult topic to address because there is no middle ground when it comes to Planned Parenthood, you are either for it or against it. I will give you some information about Planned Parenthood and you can decide for yourself whether or not you support the idea of granting them government funding.

o   Planned Parenthood is NOT ONLY about birth control and abortion. The various healthcare centers around the country have physicians that provide a variety of services to numerous people who could not otherwise get the healthcare they need.

o   Yes, Planned Parenthood is pro-choice, meaning that they support a woman’s right to choose whether or not she wants to go to full term with a pregnancy or terminate a pregnancy. They do provide abortion services but the government DOES NOT provide funding for abortion services.

Interview

This is an interview with Kim, a recent college graduate, about the controversy revolving around Planned Parenthood and whether or not it should receive government funds. 

 

Q: Is this a problem you think is important?

A: Yes, Planned Parenthood helps numerous women with their health concerns and this would not be possible without government funding.

Q: Do you think others in our community think this is an important problem? 

A: Yes and no. People who know all of the services Planned Parenthood provides are most likely going to be for government funding, but many people think Planned Parenthood is solely about contraceptives and abortion, so they would be against it.

Q: Do you think people are even thinking about the issue?

A: Most definitely, it is a major issue right now, especially with the election next month! The two presidential candidates are at opposite ends on this issue, Obama is for government funding and Romney is completely against it. It is a heated topic among many people and I think anyone who had never heard of Planned Parenthood before, has now, because of the election.

Q: What policy, if any, does government now have to deal with this problem?

A: Well, as of right now government funding is granted to Planned Parenthood, but again, the election could reverse that decision and take away funding for Planned Parenthood. So, the policy is the problem.

Q: Do you think there is a way to find middle ground on the policy, a solution that could make everyone happy?

A: No. Like I said before, you are either for funding or not, you cannot be both.

Q: The policy right now supports government funding for Planned Parenthood, what are the benefits of this policy?

A: There are tons, but many people aren’t aware of them, which is why I think picking this topic to blog about was an excellent choice. Government funding for Planned Parenthood helps numerous people get healthcare they may not otherwise be able to get. They use a system called the sliding fee scale, which enables people with low incomes to get financial assistance in order to receive healthcare. Planned Parenthood is not solely about contraceptives and abortion, they also provide cancer screenings, abuse counseling, mammograms, physicals, and a ton of other services that people aren’t aware of.

Q: Where can I get more information about this problem and the different positions people take on it?

A: Visit their website, they have a ton of information and links to other sites that discuss the issue. Facebook has a lot of pages and groups you can join with posts from various people, that might be a good place to see different points of view on the issue. The newspapers also have information about Planned Parenthood and the debate over whether or not it should be granted government funding because it is such a huge topic in the election.  

I want to thank Kim, for letting me interview her about the Planned Parenthood Controversy. By conducting this interview, I learned a lot about how strong the campaign for supporting government funding actually is and I am glad that more and more people are becoming aware of the importance of Planned Parenthood.