Go to Content Go to Navigation Go to Navigation Go to Site Search Homepage

The mission of Planned Parenthood is to:

  • Help people live full, healthy lives — no matter your income, insurance, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, or immigration status;

  • Provide the high-quality inclusive and comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care services all people need and deserve — with respect and compassion;

  • Advocate for public policies that protect and expand reproductive rights and access to a full range of sexual and reproductive health care services, including abortion;

  • Provide medically accurate education that advances the understanding of human sexuality, healthy relationships, and body autonomy;

  • Promote research and technology that enhances reproductive health care and access.

Our Goals

Healthy Communities

Our motto is: Care, no matter what. Your health and well-being are our top priority. Planned Parenthood will provide health care services, no matter who you are or where you live. And we won’t stop providing care — because that’s what every person deserves.

Each Planned Parenthood health center is staffed with expert nurses, doctors, educators, and additional support staff dedicated to ensuring that everyone in their community has high-quality, affordable care. One in five women in the United States has chosen Planned Parenthood for health care at least once in her life. 

Community is the heart and soul of Planned Parenthood and we are invested in and committed to the neighborhoods we serve. 49 distinct and locally run Planned Parenthood affiliates are the umbrella for nearly 600 health centers nationwide. Each health center reflects the diverse needs of its community and provides a wide range of confidential, safe, compassionate, and high-quality services.

Most of the 2.4 million patients who visit Planned Parenthood health centers annually seek education, resources and preventive services — including birth control and sex education, STD testing and treatment, and screenings for cervical, breast, and other cancers. Planned Parenthood is also proud to provide abortion and counseling at many health center locations across the country. Attentive physicians, nurse practitioners, and other staff take time to discuss each individual's needs and concerns — offering patients an honest, supportive, non-judgmental space to ask questions and make informed decisions about their bodies and their futures.

 

A Resource for Information and Education

Planned Parenthood is the largest sexual health educator in the country. Our education programming reaches 1.1 million people annually in classrooms and communities across the country — and millions more online. As a respected leader in sex education, we deliver sex education programs, resources, and tools that empower all people to make informed choices about sex, relationships, and their bodies to lead their healthiest lives.

Planned Parenthood is proud of its vital role in reaching young people and adults with sex education that promote sexual health and wellness across their lifespan.

Every young person deserves sex education that honors all of who they are, their experiences, and their own vision for their futures. With the availability and quality of sex education programs still wildly inconsistent across the U.S. — if it’s provided at all — too many young people still aren’t getting the information and skills they need for a lifetime of good health. Now more than ever, young people need access to information and skills necessary to understand their bodies, define their boundaries, protect their health, and shape their futures.

 

A Strong Advocate for Sexual and Reproductive Health Care

Planned Parenthood believes access to quality health care is a human right. And we’re not alone. Planned Parenthood has a nationwide base of 17 million activists, supporters, and donors who work to protect fundamental sexual and reproductive rights.

The Planned Parenthood Action Network empowers online activists in all 50 states to get involved with campaigns that advance sexual and reproductive health and rights and access.

The Planned Parenthood Action Fund is an independent, nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization formed as the advocacy and political arm of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. The Action Fund is dedicated to educational and electoral work — including public education campaigns, grassroots organizing, and legislative advocacy — to protect and expand people’s access to sexual and reproductive health care and education.

At Planned Parenthood, we know there’s no reproductive freedom without racial justice, and we take seriously our responsibility to create belonging and respect for the millions of patients and partners we serve. We have the fundamental goal to defend health care for the people most harmed by racist and discriminatory systems. 

At Planned Parenthood, we smash stigma, build bridges, learn and grow, and fight for the rights of all. No matter what.

 

Advancing Global Health

For  many people around the world, access to basic and lifesaving reproductive and sexual health care and information is blocked — by poverty, a lack of medical staff, politics, or war.

Since its inception in 1971, Planned Parenthood Global has worked with more than 1,000 organizations in more than 70 countries.

Planned Parenthood Global partners with leaders in Africa and Latin America to overcome these barriers and increase access to health care and education. We collaborate with local organizations on the front lines — following their lead to foster sustainable health and education programs; and fight for legal, social, and political improvements in communities around the world.

Planned Parenthood Global also advocates for safe policies that improve the sexual and reproductive health and wellbeing of individuals and families.

Planned Parenthood Federation of America is a founding member of the International Planned Parenthood Federation, based in London.

Find Out More By Exploring Our Facts & Figures

Planned Parenthood’s impact by the numbers.

LEARN MORE

WHY CHOOSE PLANNED PARENTHOOD?

Expert Care

Our staff of trusted, expert medical professionals deliver high-quality health care across the country.

None

Affordable Access

Everyone deserves equal access to sexual and reproductive health care services and education.

Innovation and Research

Planned Parenthood is a leader in advancing reproductive health care research and technology.

LEARN ABOUT OUR PATIENTS

Dakota's Story

I turned to Planned Parenthood when I was in high school for birth control. If Planned Parenthood hadn't helped me, I would not be who I am today.

Chenoa's Story

I found out about the Affordable Care Act while volunteering at Planned Parenthood. I was so excited because it meant I could have health insurance again.

Shawanna's Story

At 17, I became pregnant. I decided to terminate the pregnancy because it was the best option for me at the time. It's important that abortion remain safe and legal.

Help Keep Our Mission Strong

DONATE NOW

Trusted care, every step of the way

STD testing, birth control, abortion, and more in-person and online.