Planned Parenthood goes on the offensive
The Trump administration recommended defunding some abortion providers in its proposed budget for the coming year.
In the Title X Family Planning program and Medicaid portion of President Donald Trump’s budget request for fiscal year 2019 released Feb. 12, “certain abortion providers” would be barred from receiving federal funds in Title X Family Planning programs and Medicaid as well as other Health and Human Services (HSS) programs.
Page 56 of the 2019 budget request reads in part: “Prohibits Certain Abortion Providers from Receiving Federal Funds. The Budget includes provisions prohibiting certain abortion providers from receiving Federal funds from HHS, including those that receive funding under the Title X Family Planning program and Medicaid, among other HHS programs.”
The budget request to Congress is the start of the U.S. government’s annual budget process.
Trump’s budget request for 2018 excluded Planned Parenthood from all HHS funding, including Medicaid reimbursements, though this did not come to pass. The Republicans made several additional unsuccessful attempts to defund Planned Parenthood in 2017 via healthcare bills.
Trump had also signed a bill last April reversing an Obama-era regulation that forced states to fund Planned Parenthood.
In January, Trump’s HHS announced rescission of an Obama-era guidance that blocked states from cutting Planned Parenthood from their Medicaid programs, along with the creation of a division to strengthen enforcement of federal conscience and religious freedom protections for healthcare workers who do not want to be forced to participate in abortion.
Planned Parenthood announced a nationwide push for abortion and birth control legislation the day after the release of the Trump 2019 budget request.
The abortion giant called the initiative part of the “attacks” by the Trump-Pence administration on its “patients’ fundamental rights and access to health care.”
Dawn Laguens, executive vice president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said in a statement, “The Trump-Pence administration has been attacking our patients’ fundamental rights and access to health care, emboldening state politicians to follow its reckless lead,” adding: “We need to do more than just fight against the bad policies — now is the time to push for good ones.”
Planned Parenthood and its partners intended to push bills in more than 12 states last month with the plan to be lobbying for initiatives in all 50 states by the end of 2018. According to The Hill, Planned Parenthood says the legislation would protect birth control coverage, expand access to abortion and make sex education more inclusive. One example of the abortion chain’s push at the state level is a bill in Maine requiring all nurse practitioners to provide the abortion pill to patients upon request. Another bill supported by Planned Parenthood in Missouri would repeal the state’s 72-hour waiting period for abortions.
Planned Parenthood CEO Cecile Richards, who recently announced that she will step down this year from the nation’s largest abortion provider, refused Trump’s offer last year to keep its federal funding if Planned Parenthood stopped committing abortions.
Planned Parenthood’s report for 2016-2017 showed it had aborted 321,384 babies and took in $543.7 million from the government. That $543.7 million from taxpayers comprises 37 percent of Planned Parenthood’s $1.46 billion budget.
This article originally appeared Feb. 13 at LifeSiteNews and is used with permission.
