Who We Are
Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) is many things to many people. We are a trusted health care provider, an informed educator, a passionate advocate, and a global partner helping similar organizations around the world. Planned Parenthood delivers vital health care services, sex education, and sexual health information to millions of women, men, and young people.
For more than 90 years, Planned Parenthood has promoted a commonsense approach to women’s health and well-being, based on respect for each individual’s right to make informed, independent decisions about sex, health, and family planning.
Providing Trusted Health Care Services
Planned Parenthood is America’s most trusted provider of reproductive health care. Our skilled health care professionals are dedicated to offering men, women, and teens the highest quality medical care and the most affordable products. One in four American women has chosen Planned Parenthood for health care at least once in her life.
The heart of Planned Parenthood is in the local community. Our 97 unique, locally governed affiliates nationwide operate nearly 880 health centers, which reflect the diverse needs of their communities.
Each health center provides safe, reliable services that prevent unintended pregnancies through contraception, reduce the spread of sexually transmitted infections through testing and treatment, and screen for cervical and other cancers. Caring physicians, nurse practitioners, and other staff take time to talk with clients, encouraging them to ask questions and discuss their feelings in a confidential setting.
Informing and Educating the Community
Planned Parenthood is a respected leader in educating Americans about sexual and reproductive health. We deliver comprehensive and medically accurate information that empowers women, men, teens, and families to make informed choices and lead healthy lives. Planned Parenthood is proud of its vital role in providing young people with honest sexuality and relationship information in classrooms and online at teenwire.com®. More than 1.2 million adults and youths participate in Planned Parenthood educational programs every year.
Leading the Reproductive Health and Rights Movement
On campuses and online, in statehouses and courts, in community settings, and in the media, Planned Parenthood is a visible and passionate advocate for policies that enable Americans to access comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care, education, and information. Whether talking to members of Congress, parents, or faith leaders, or arguing cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, we fight for commonsense policies that promote women’s health, allow individuals to prevent unintended pregnancies through access to affordable birth control, and protect the health of young people by providing them with comprehensive sex education.
Planned Parenthood has more than four million activists, supporters, and donors nationwide. The Planned Parenthood Action Network enables online activists in all 50 states to stay on top of the issues and get involved with campaigns that advance and protect women’s rights and health. Also furthering Planned Parenthood’s mission are several advocacy networks:
- College students mobilize through Vox®: Voices for Planned Parenthood, which has chapters and programs on nearly 180 campuses around the country.
- The PPFA Clergy Advisory Board speaks out about the theological basis for choice. The board mobilizes fellow clergy and lay religious leaders in the PPFA Pro-Choice Religious Network, a national membership group that advocates for the right of women and men to make informed, morally responsible choices about their reproductive lives.
- Planned Parenthood Republicans for Choice® (RFC) promote the principles that individual rights and reproductive freedom are core Republican values and should be reflected in Republican Party policies.
- More than 400 celebrities in the arts and entertainment industries are volunteer members of the PPFA Board of Advocates. Their public support is an invaluable aid to Planned Parenthood’s mission.
The Planned Parenthood Action Fund is an independent, nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization formed as the advocacy and political arm of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Fortifying our commitment to protect women’s health, educate teens, and prevent unintended pregnancies, the Action Fund engages in educational and electoral activity, including public education campaigns, grassroots organizing, and legislative advocacy.
Advancing Global Health
For many individuals around the world, access to vital sexual and reproductive health services and information is blocked — by poverty, a lack of basic services, or politics and war. Planned Parenthood works with local partners in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean to overcome these barriers by increasing access to health services and education. We nurture local leadership, foster sustainable health and education programs, and fight for legal, social, and political improvements in communities around the world.
Planned Parenthood’s international program also advocates for sound U.S. foreign policies that improve the sexual health and well-being of individuals and families globally. As a key part of that effort, Planned Parenthood affiliates form partnerships with women’s groups and family planning providers in the developing world to share expertise, experience, and ideas.
PPFA is also a founding member of the International Planned Parenthood Federation, based in London.
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