Donations Instead Of Gifts: 12 Charities To Help This Holiday
MANHATTAN, NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES – 2015/09/29: Participants hold pink Planned Parenthood banner and signs. Activists and directors of Planned Parenthood, NYC, gathered in Foley Square along NYC first lady Chirlane McCray and elected representatives to demonstrate support for the organization. (Photo by Andy Katz/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)
10. Planned Parenthood
Cause: Reproductive rights, community health
Why Choose This Charity: We’ve all surely heard of Planned Parenthood. This organization has been around in various forms since 1916. It was founded by Margaret Sanger, a Brooklyn-based nurse who opened a birth control clinic after seeing the deplorable conditions endured by poor families in the neighborhood. Women were especially affected by the low incomes and subpar healthcare available to them.
Surprisingly, Sanger herself was not necessarily supportive of abortion. Instead, she advocated for easy access to birth control and health services, which she rightfully believed would drastically reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies. The issue of abortion is, as you’re likely aware, a fraught issue surrounding care provided by Planned Parenthood. Detractors of the nonprofit organization say that it should be closed or its activities severely curtailed because some of its locations provide abortion services.
However, federal Title X funding received by Planned Parenthood cannot be used for abortions. Individuals receiving them at Planned Parenthood centers typically pay for them out of pocket or with assistance from the center itself.
Today, Planned Parenthood centers carry on the ethos of providing low-cost, accessible healthcare to women and other members of the community. This includes programs for low-income families, LGBT people, transgender people, and men. Though critics of the organization
Links to Send Gift Givers: The general donation link, with more information, is here. You may also look up your regional and local centers here and contact them directly to make a more localized donation.