IndexPlanned Parenthood's Social Outreach Efforts and Political InvolvementFinal ThoughtsBibliographyLink institutions played a dominant role in both major parties in the 2016 US presidential election. Most importantly, however, it was the influences of particular interest groups and political parties and how the two worked together to achieve a partisan agenda. It is well known that Planned Parenthood is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, and although the Planned Parenthood Federation of America itself is nonpartisan, its leaders, and more specifically its president, Cecile Richards, are all fundamentally left-wing and show full support for Hillary Clinton. in his campaign, donating from a separate fund, the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, raising awareness of his platform and agenda, and in return received unwavering support from his campaign to fight for affordable reproductive healthcare. Hillary Clinton is obviously not the only 2016 presidential candidate who supported and received support from Planned Parenthood, all of the major Democratic Party candidates had Planned Parenthood on their side, but as the DNC candidate, Clinton acquired the most support from the foundation . no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay One could argue that Planned Parenthood is a single-issue interest group, but that the interest is broad and all-encompassing regarding equality, women's rights, and the idea that reproductive health care affordable and comprehensive sexuality education should be available to all. They have been increasingly influential and persistent when it comes to promoting women's health issues, the most controversial of which is a woman's right to abortion. Support for these freedoms has caused a notable reaction from the majority of the movement's conservatives, generally including but not limited to party candidates, incumbents, and voters. Planned Parenthood aimed to increase support for the issue of reproductive health which, according to the New England Journal of Medicine, was considered a “second tier issue.” Planned Parenthood's Social Outreach Efforts and Political Engagement During the 2016 election cycle, many Republican presidential candidates supported the pro-life movement to "defund Planned Parenthood" as a way to satisfy single-issue voters and created a stalemate between themselves, politicians and their constituents at the other end of the spectrum. In an effort to demonize Planned Parenthood and its affiliates, the right has produced baseless scandals alleging that not only have abortion rates increased since the Supreme Court's decision in Roe v. Wade, but that the clinic is harvesting brains, organs and stem cells from living beings. and/or viable fetuses, and ultimately declared that they were performing all of these acts on federal dollars, which is against the law and, again, not a reality. This trumped-up smear attempt has left the organization tarnished and riddled with constant allegations of debunked claims. In fact, following the Roe v. Wade, the decision in the case appeared to have “legalized the idea that pregnancy was not a woman's destiny,” an ideology with which many Democrats, both politicians and voters, appeared to align and support. Following the scandal that emerged at the time that Planned Parenthood was illegally harvesting fetal tissue, Clinton gave a speechprogram at the Planned Parenthood gala and was later called upon by Republicans to return campaign contributions she had received from the organization as they were thought to be unethical. Clinton chose to remain steadfast in her support for Planned Parenthood, under the impression that “an all-out defense of Planned Parenthood helps shore up Clinton's support among wavering liberals, while GOP efforts to cut funding for family planning group allows Clinton to argue that her election would be a bulwark against efforts to roll back women's rights." Planned Parenthood uses much of its funding for social awareness efforts and to promote sexual health and safety, as well as supporting the idea that services like the ones they provide should be more easily accessible to disadvantaged and disenfranchised people , an idea that Clinton referenced and defended in her appearance on stage at the last presidential debate of 2016. Clinton worked closely with Planned Parenthood during her campaign, revitalizing within her demographic group the idea that they provide needed care and how that care protects the “sacred rights” that no man, woman, or government body can take away from any individual in our country. Even as a non-profit organization, Planned Parenthood has Political Action Committees (PACs) that donated generously not only to Clinton's 2016 campaign, but also her 2008 campaign. Many of Planned Parenthood's largest PAC donors were also "longtime Clinton donors," which many opposed to Clinton's potential presidency have flagged as a conflict of interest over her political agenda, claiming that Planned Parenthood would influence her policies when in fact she already supported of Planned Parenthood's holistic "mission" and the two, given his election, would have been a very united front. Clinton's campaign was incredibly successful among the population, having been able to reach large numbers of voters and fringe voters who had been continually marginalized in previous election cycles. Despite the best efforts of the Democratic Party, Hillary Clinton, and related interest groups, Clinton nevertheless failed to campaign in swing states, causing her to lose the electoral college, creating an environment in which backsliding would thrive and government stagnation, and they did. . Over the past two years, many of the policy changes Clinton championed during her campaign have been rejected, overturned, or scrutinized by elected officials and appointees under President Trump's power or influence. But in the wake of an incredibly unsatisfactory political climate, it is evident to politicians, political scientists and even lay people, that this could very well cause the next election to produce a polar opposite result, as citizens' disapproval of the the effectiveness with which the government addresses and solves problems is one of the main reasons for bringing voters to the polls. Final Thoughts And I am certain, without a shadow of a doubt, that the issues brought to light by Planned Parenthood, and the rights they advocate for, will play an extraordinarily crucial role in the evolution of the American voter and the potential outcome of the 2020 election. Bibliography Hogue, Ilyse and Tammi Kromenaker. “The Power of Planned Parenthood.” Publication: The Hill, October 24, 2019. URL: https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/467080-the-power-of-planned-parenthoodBravender, Robin. “Planned Parenthood is at the center of the presidential race.” Publication: Politico, 19 September 2019. URL: