While Congress’ vote on Jan. 6 to repeal Obamacare and defund Planned Parenthood is nothing more than a symbolic gesture for politicians to declare their opinion on the current state of Medicare until Democrats are out of the White House, it is a very damaging move that brings back America socially as a Western nation.

Planned Parenthood serves over two million customers per year, 78% of whom are under the poverty line, according to plannedparenthood.org. Without these clinics, millions of women and men will be left without access to reproductive health services. This includes screening for sexually transmitted diseases and infections that could potentially be life threatening. Many cannot afford to go to a regular hospital for these kinds of check-ups, so the Senate is essentially just voting to endanger the American public.

The reason for Congress’ attack on Planned Parenthood is largely due to the chamber’s conservative view toward abortion. Sen. Ted Cruz said that the organization is, “America’s largest provider of abortions, which makes it the largest depriver of life,” according to the Conservative Review.

Regardless of a person’s opinion on abortions, it is a legal procedure in the United States, meaning that this attempt to block off these safe and affordable clinics is actually an attack on women’s rights, and should in no way be tolerated.

“If anything the government should be funding Planned Parenthood because women are going to end up pregnant with babies they can’t take care of, or children out of rape,” a student said*.

Spending reports show that this is not a financial matter and that the government could actually afford to increase spending on the organization. The United States spends roughly 610 billion on Defense, which is more than the next seven countries combined, according to the Peter G. Peterson Foundation. This is an outrageous amount of excess that could be spread to other sectors of public spending without any risk to national security. If repealing Obamacare and taking from Planned Parenthood were a financial issue, it would be far more understandable.

The irony is that Planned Parenthood does not actually focus on abortion much at all. Only three percent of all services conducted in the 2013-14 financial year were abortion procedures. A vast majority of the program’s efforts go toward STD screening and treatment as well as contraception, according to the Washington Post. It is highly unlikely that Congress, or anyone for that matter, wishes to increase the spread of disease, so depleting Planned Parenthood’s resources is foolish.

“Planned Parenthood isn’t just used for abortions. It provides access to birth control and a gynecologist and so many other beneficial things that a lot of people can’t afford. And even if it did just provide abortions, that isn’t a bad thing,” another student said*.

*These students asked to remain anonymous do to the controversial nature the topic.