BELIEF STATEMENTS 

STATEMENTS OF BELIEF

Planned Parenthood of North Texas is dedicated to the achievement of parenthood by choice, by ensuring the provision of voluntary reproductive health care and sexuality education, and by advocating the right of every person to receive these services.  Below are more in-detail statements regarding our services and our responsibility as providers to offer quality reproductive health care to the North Texas community.

Access to Services

Access to affordable reproductive health care is the core of PPNT's mission, as timely access to quality preventive health care can greatly improve health outcomes.  Increased access to preventive reproductive health care services could greatly decrease our nation's high rates of unintended pregnancies, abortions, and sexually transmitted infections, while also limiting many poor health outcomes.

• We believe that everyone deserves access to affordable, confidential reproductive health care services.

• We believe individuals will act responsibly towards their health if they are provided with appropriate education and health care services that are truly accessible.

• We believe that the provision of reproductive health care services must be based upon sound science and not ideology or inaccurate information.

Sexuality Education

Comprehensive sexuality education is important to our communities because most people will have sexual intercourse at some point in their lives.  Individuals need to know how to prevent unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, and they need information and skills about how to abstain from unwanted or unhealthy sexual activity.

• We believe medically-accurate, age-appropriate, comprehensive sexuality education will help people learn to make healthy decisions, to foster communication skills, to develop meaningful relationships, and to express affection, love, and intimacy in ways that are consistent with their values.

• We believe sexuality education that respects and empowers individuals has more integrity than education based on misleading and inaccurate information, fear, or shame.

• We believe that the provision of sexuality education must be based upon sound science and not ideology or wishful thinking.

Confidential Services

Confidentiality between a doctor and patient is one of the oldest tenets of medical ethics, and a person's medical history can contain the most intimate and personal information.  Thus, the assurance of privacy is essential for quality treatment and care.  A patient must be able to trust that their most private information will remain private.

• We believe everyone has the fundamental right to confidential health care services, including reproductive health care services, and the right to decide who can view their medical records.

• We believe the government should respect the doctor-patient relationship, as individuals do not need government intrusion in their most personal and private decisions, including the decision to use contraception or to have an abortion.

Adolescent Care

Young people explore their sexuality as a natural part of achieving sexual maturity, and becoming a sexually healthy adult is an important part of adolescent development.  Parents play an important role in supporting young people during this time, but many parents want or need help guiding their children through this process.

In order for young people to act responsibly with regards to their sexual behavior, they must have access to comprehensive sexuality education and confidential reproductive health care.

• We believe that adolescents are worthy of respect and can be trusted to make responsible decisions when armed with complete and accurate information.

• We believe that young people should be encouraged, when possible, to involve their parents and/or other responsible and concerned adults in all their health care decision-making.  However, we oppose any limitation or restriction on the access of adolescents to confidential reproductive health services, including contraception and abortion. 

• We believe adolescents have the right to medically-accurate, age-appropriate, comprehensive sexuality education and they deserve access to affordable, confidential reproductive health care services.