The Oakland Post

Clinic will be positive, not ‘predatory’

By editors
Posted: Tuesday, January 4th, 2011 at 10:36 pm | Last Updated: Tuesday, January 4th, 2011 at 10:36 pm Comments Print This Email This Tweet This Delicious

A proposed Auburn Hills Planned Parenthood facility is a necessity, not a danger.

At a Dec. 6 Auburn Hills City Council meeting, a myriad of pro-life activists spoke out against the planned Opdyke Road facility.

During her remarks, one Auburn Hills citizen said she felt Planned Parenthood chose the location to specifically target Oakland University students.

Though she was speaking about the controversial service of abortion, only one of a plethora of health services the organization offers, we do not see its proximity to the university campus as a negative thing.

This is not a debate about abortion and its moral and legal implications, but rather a different perspective on why the services provided by the Planned Parenthood will benefit the surrounding community and Oakland University specifically.

Many opponents of the clinic, including District 45 State Rep. Tom McMillin, claim the clinic’s presence is predatory in nature and that it will encourage reckless sexual practices.

Lori Lamerand, CEO of Planned Parenthood Mid and South Michigan, said the clinic is being characterized incorrectly.

Onsite abortions may not even occur at the Auburn Hills clinic since Planned Parenthood is still assessing the needs of the community and unsure of how much funding it will receive.

One thing is certain, though. There are currently no full-service family planning providers in Oakland County and because of this, the county currently receives none of the $7.65 million the state of Michigan receives through Title X of the Public Health Service Act.

Junior communication major Matt Pocket, who said he is pro-life, does not oppose plans for the clinic.

“My thoughts don’t change other people’s opinions,” Pocket said. “My attitudes toward things like abortion haven’t changed, but I’m no longer interested in saying that other people shouldn’t have them.”

It must be noted that Title X money cannot be used for abortions, contrary to popular belief. The family planning and reproductive health services the clinic will provide to people of all backgrounds are invaluable.

The clinic will provide a host of family planning services like counseling and birth control and potentially life-saving healthcare procedures that include breast cancer screenings and Pap smears. That helps everyone: pro-life or pro-choice.

Also,  Auburn Hills city attorney David Beckerleg has stated that the anticipated Planned Parenthood is completely within legal boundaries.

While we respect the opinions of those who challenge the organization’s presence — Citizens for a Pro-life Society held a protest Dec. 17 at Planned Parenthood’s proposed Auburn Hills site — we would like to express our belief that the positive contributions the clinic have to offer the community will by far outweigh any possible negatives.

“I think this would encourage more safe sexual behavior and provide a helping hand to college students in need regardless of the federal issue of abortion,” said Abby Hartmann, a junior majoring in human resource management.

Lamerand said that 98 percent of what Planned Parenthood does is to prevent the other 2 percent of what the organization provides from happening.

We see no reason for anyone to rally against the completion of the clinic.