Planned Parenthood has been winning in the courts in 2016, as state after Republican-led state has tried to cripple the organization by defunding clinics. Now the Obama administration is stepping in to attempt to short-circuit those lawsuits with a proposed rule reinforcing existing law, preventing states from defunding Planned Parenthood or any other family planning provider for political reasons.
The proposed rule says that states cannot withhold Title X federal family planning funds from providers for any reason other than their "ability to deliver services to program beneficiaries in an effective manner." This would essentially make the same laws that apply to Medicaid—states can't pick and choose providers the federal funds go to in the absence of fraud—apply specifically to Title X funding. Bottom line: if the rule is approved, states could no longer bar Planned Parenthood funding because some of its clinics provide abortions.
“This will make a real difference in so many people’s lives," said Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards:
"The Obama Administration is protecting access to health care for millions of people. Women in nearly half the states in this country have faced political attacks on cancer screenings, birth control, and other basic care. This rule makes it clear that politicians cannot ignore the law as they pursue their agenda to stop women from getting the care they need.
Title X is a key program in providing necessary basic preventive care as well as birth control coverage to about 4 million low-income Americans, with about one-third of those patients getting care from Planned Parenthood. It uses that Title X funding, along with the Medicaid funds it receives, to provide subsidized birth control, and screening for and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases and infections.
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Speaking of sexually transmitted diseases and Republican efforts to defund Planned Parenthood: Zika.
In Little Haiti, Liberty City, and a number of other neighborhoods in Miami, canvassers are now walking door to door to spread the word about the risks of Zika, one household at a time — hoping to reach 25, 000 people the next six weeks. In some neighborhoods, these workers aren't sponsored by federal or state health agencies, but by Planned Parenthood.
Lillian Tamayo, the CEO of Planned Parenthood of South, East and North Florida, told NPR that Miami-Dade County has the state's largest population of people without health coverage, which leaves these residents particularly vulnerable to Zika. "More than one-third of Florida does not have an OB-GYN," she said. "It also is among the worst states in the country for women's health and women's well-being. And it has staggering infection rates for sexually transmitted diseases. And now we have Zika."
The proposed rule, which will become permanent after a 30-day comment period, wouldn't stop a terrible Republican Congress from trying to keep public health funds away from Planned Parenthood—nor would it stop horror shows like the current House Republican "investigation" that's endangering Planned Parenthood staff and fetal tissue researchers, but it would stop governors like Florida's Rick Scott from doing it. So we need to take care of the Republican congressional horror show.