Under the Trump administration, Planned Parenthood and other health care providers who offer abortion services will no longer receive federal funding. It is estimated that Planned Parenthood will be cut off from almost 60 million dollars annually under this new rule.
So where’s that money going? According to The New York Times, Trump intends to “direct it toward religiously-based, anti-abortion groups.”
News flash. Planned Parenthood is more than just an abortion clinic. The non-profit organization offers so many more services, including sexual education programs, STD/STI screenings, LGBTQ services, pelvic exams, general health care for both women AND men; that’s just to name a few.
By choosing to defund Planned Parenthood, the government is denying so many individuals access to affordable and reliable reproductive health care. 79% of people who visit Planned Parenthood are living at or under the poverty line.
Previously, Title X was the nation’s family planning program that helped pay for these services. However, Trump’s “gag order” is proposing changes to Title X regulations so health care providers that offer abortion services (like Planned Parenthood) or offer referrals to external abortion clinics will no longer receive federal funding. The only way Planned Parenthood and other similar clinics will still be seeing those tax dollars sent their way is if they separate their abortion services into a completely separate entity.
Under this rule, they will have 120 days to financially separate these programs and one year to physically separate them in completely different buildings. Many of the articles I read said Planned Parenthood is unlikely to comply.
What should be noted is that Title X previously didn’t use tax dollars to pay for abortion services. Which is why I believe that this order is a way for the Trump administration to oppress women. It is cruel to threaten to defund health care providers just for mentioning abortion as an option or giving a referral to a clinic.
In addition, Trump has already developed rules to “allow employers to opt out of the mandate if they (have) religious or moral objections” to contraception that is typically covered by the Affordable Care Act (The New York Times).
Our president is suggesting “abstinence” as the solution to abortions and contraception. Which is ironic coming from the man who was caught on tape telling men to “grab (women) by the p*ssy.”
I am not trying to turn this topic into a Pro-Choice/Pro-Life debate. All I am saying is that defunding Planned Parenthood because they offer abortion services and referrals is ridiculous. Only a small fraction of the 52 million people who visit Planned Parenthood annually receive abortions. According to their 2017-2018 Annual Report, only half of the 650 Planned Parenthoods around the U.S. even offer abortion services.
It seems to me like a bunch of old white men with power are choosing to take away women’s rights to receiving essential reproductive services. Without funding, Planned Parenthood may cease to exist. There are so many potential consequences to this order, going further than denying birth control and abortion services.
Photo Courtesy of Teagan Lewis.
Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/14/us/politics/trump-birth-control-mandate.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/22/health/trump-defunds-planned-parenthood.html
https://www.plannedparenthood.org/about-us/facts-figures