Elders Praises Planned Parenthood

Elders, along with Gloria Feldt, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America Inc., spoke to about 300 of the organization's volunteers and supporters in the George Watts Hill Alumni Center.

Both speeches carried the same message -- planning and education are essential to relieving the country of its major health problems.

"In my opinion, Planned Parenthood ought to be everywhere," Feldt said.

The main goal of Monday's event was to thank the volunteers and supporters of Planned Parenthood of Central North Carolina during the celebration of its 20th anniversary.

The organization also is celebrating the recent expansion of its coverage from Orange and Durham counties to more than 25 counties across the state.

After receiving a standing ovation, Elders echoed Feldt's sentiments.

"Just imagine what the world would be like if every child was a planned, wanted child," Elders said.

But we are not there yet, she said.

Besides the growing problems of the HIV virus and sexually transmitted diseases, there are more than 35 million Americans with no access to health insurance, Elders said.

"When we look at where we are in this country and look at all the problems we have related around sexual health, you would think we would want to do everything we could to make it better," she said.

The United States must make health care universal, Elders said, although she even placed some blame on her fellow doctors. "Every lawyer feels that every person has a constitutional right to a lawyer, but we do not feel that every baby has a right to a doctor?" Elders said.

In addition to a revised health care system, the United States must educate its children, Elders said.

"We refuse to have comprehensive sex education because we say we are too busy, but what good is reading, writing and arithmetic if you are emotionally sick?" she said.

But the education must not be focused solely toward girls, Elders said.

"We must also teach our young men to be responsible," she said. "We have to realize that it takes two, and there's more to being a father than donating sperm."

The United States also must put more money into its schools than its prisons while still providing better health services to its prisoners and overseas military, Elders said.

Both Elders and Feldt said insurance companies should fund contraceptives, similar to their coverage of Viagra.

Though education and increased health-care coverage are the solutions, the fight toward their acceptance will not be easy, Elders said.

But choosing effective leaders is a good place to start, she said.

"In all this, we must never fear failure," she said. "If we measure our failures, we'll always feel worthless. Instead, we must measure our successes."

In its 20 years, the organization has taken great strides, but volunteers and members must continue to make their voices heard, Feldt said.

"Things have changed a lot today," she said. "And today the most dramatic act we can do is engage in politics."

The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu.