system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Why does Planned Parenthood receive federal funding in the first place?

I'll be the first to admit, I haven't been paying too much attention to the current "planned parenthood" controversy. However, it got me thinking: why is planned parenthood receiving federal grants to begin with? I'm not trying to be political, and admittedly, the only real interaction I've had with them was getting denied an HIV screening due to the fact that I couldn't provide them with a recent pay stub, but nevertheless, I'm just curious as to what motivated the government to fund *them* in the first place, as opposed to simply funding various local clinics, etc.
gpt
Simply put, Planned Parenthood IS composed of local clinics all across the country. It is well-staffed with a large pool of medical expertise to draw from. They meet all the qualifications needed to receive federal grants directed at providing these kinds of services, so they receive them.