I KNOW WHAT I CAN AFFORD
Really? This was the entire message of a billboard sponsored by Planned Parenthood that I saw yesterday in a poor black neighborhood in Indianapolis. I probably had a bit of a quizzical look on my face for people seeing me in traffic right at that moment. I must not be understanding. They can't mean what it seems like that would mean. I stowed it away for future reference.
But I've had it running in the back of my mind now for a day, and I can't think of any other viable explanation. "I know what I can afford." So then, the message appears to be that if you figure you "can't afford" to raise a child, come on over and we'll kill that little bugger for you.
I'm pro-choice, bad as I hate to be so on this issue. I just don't believe in the government enough to support giving them that kind of control over what somebody's got going on up inside them. I understand that sometimes women have difficult specific situations where this might be the best option.
But this Planned Parenthood billboard seems evil and incredibly callous. They appear to be advertising for abortion on the basis of pure convenience- not just accepting it with a wink and a nod, but openly advertising it on BIG HONKIN' BILLBOARDS.
Is there another point of view that I'm not seeing? Am I missing something here?
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - bhw
How about birth control?
2 - Temple Stark
that would have been my first guess, too.
planned parenthood = abortion clinic? Ah, i'm beginning to understand some POVs
3 - freeza
i don't like abortion! it's cruel!
birth control works better! or wait til yer married for sex! that's good too!
4 - Tan The Man
But the fact that you had to think about the message is an accomplishment to the Planned Parenthood marketing people. It might be dumb, but they got you to think, which is something that a lot of people don't do.
5 - Al Barger
"planned parenthood = abortion clinic?"
Yes.
6 - Natalie Davis
Planned Parenthood offers sliding-scale fees for obstretrical and gynecological care, family-planning resources, counseling services (that really do cover all the options), and, yes, the A word. Women who need to save their pennies often go to PP for routine checkups because it is more affordable for them than going to private doctors would be. Most of PP's patients never use the facility for abortion services.
7 - Temple Stark
only = is what I meant.
Where's the "oh yeah, birth control duh" comment from ya?
8 - Tan The Man
"Most of PP's patients never use the facility for abortion services." That seems awful... maybe they should spread the word.
9 - rbp0554
Natalie:
Are you suggesting that nuances actually exist... and all this time I was thinking everything was good/evil, black/white, with us/against us
Man... I've been confused all of my life.
- RBP
10 - Steve S
There are a lot of people in poverty who come from cultures where it is customary to have many children. The message of not having children beyond your means is a good message to pass along, in my opinion, since the American culture rightly frowns on not being able to properly provide for children.
11 - Natalie Davis
Naughty, naughty, Mr. Tan.
Mr. RBP, you thought wrong, and despite your snide tone, I have never said that. Most things are indeed very nuanced and filled with shades of grey. But there are a few things that are very cut and dried and can not be compromised.
12 - rbp0554
Easy Natalie:
My "snide" tone was directed for Al... who clearly thinks that nuances don't exist with respect to this topic. Your comment was very nuanced. My apologies.
- RBP
13 - Natalie Davis
Mine as well.
14 - Dave Nalle
Seems mostly just elitist to me - if it's placed in a poor neighborhood. Something to the effect of, "you're poor, you should be sterilized for the good of humanity."
Dave
15 - Al Barger
Yes Dave, I never see Planned Parenthood advertising in wealthy (white) neighborhoods.
16 - Al Barger
I also want to thank Miss Natalie for her judicious explanation on behalf of the defense.
17 - bob
You might possibly have read the sign wrong while dealing with traffic ..."I know what I can afford" was probably an ad for the sign space itself, in other words "sign for rent". The yet to be covered logo might have been left over from previous rental.
18 - Al Barger
So are y'all saying that this should be understood as some kind of ad for discount birth control? How exactly does this quote apply? Honest, I'm not trying to be thick.
And no Bob, this was clearly a current Planned Parenthood ad.
19 - Dave Nalle
Is this any worse than the billboards purporting to be messages direct from god which dot major cities?
Dave
20 - Al Barger
Help me tease this message out. Are y'all saying that PP was abbreviating a message here that is supposed to mean something like, "Come on in for birth control, and we'll take whatever payment for it that you say you can afford to pay." Is that supposed to be the point?
21 - andy marsh
Al - why you always picking on the liberal orgs...why not go pick on the NRA or something???
22 - Nancy
The message was directed at young people (especially young men) and has little to do w/money, actually. What it's referring to is, 'can you afford to fool around having unprotected sex w/your girlfriend(s)? Can you afford the consequences, including pregnancy, STDs, having to short cut your amibitions or dreams because you have to support kids you never wanted?' It was very poorly worded, BUT - as you pointed out, Al - it DID make you think. However, it's part of an ongoing campaign & apparently, those to whom it is directed (young people) are already aware of the phrase. It's only the old people who don't automatically get it. Also, in my area, it's also up in the more affluent neighborhoods. I see it on one of the main streets near a high school in a pretty well-off town, but yes, it DOES need to be pushed more in poor neighborhoods, because many, many studies have shown that better-educated, wealthier people tend not to have lots of kids to begin with; it's not part of their culture, for one thing, and for another, they're far more aware & educated about birth control, etc. It's the people who can least afford kids either emotionally or materially that tend to breed like crazy, mainly because they don't get the constant 'don't go there' messages from their elders & community that more affluent kids do, or in the case of some ethnic communities, because it's cultural: the more macho you are, the more kids you have, which is of course false; number of kids engendered - especially illegitimately - has nothing whatsoever to do with manhood. There was a big series about this in the W. Post not too long ago.
Anyway, that's the message & target audience, Al.
23 - andy marsh
Nancy - I thought poor folks bred like that 'cause they didn't have a lot of toys to play with!
24 - Nancy
Uhhh... *ahem* depends on what kind of toys. Seriously, tho, according to all those who claim to know, and stats do bear it out, the problem is due to lack of education & peer/family pressure, and is definitely tied to the socioeconomic scale. The sad part is, that those who have the most kids, really can't 'afford' them in any sense of the word. They tend to be too young, too unstable or immature emotionally, & too poor to give either the kids or themselves the kind of lifestyle necessary to raise them in a non-traumatic environment. Anybody who would argue that a dirt-poor, uneducated environment with desperate, frustrated, half-educated, overyoung parents is not a bad place for kids is insane.
25 - Bennett
Good job Nancy and Ms. Davis. It IS a message to make kids think.
What can I afford?
Can I afford to mess up my life by getting pregnant?
Can I afford to mess up my life by getting my gilfriend pregnant?
Very good questions for kids to have in their heads.
I have a feeling that most of the folks who do the whole "abortion clinic" number are well off, have never needed a gyno exam, and can't see beyond their own BS talking points.
Bennett