Republicans are hell-bent on dismantling Planned Parenthood and, on Thursday, they took one step closer. The House voted 230 to 188 to approve H.J. Resolution 43 which withholds family planning funds to organizations which offer abortion care, including Planned Parenthood and its affiliates. It is a reversal of a rule finalized in December by the Obama administration which allocated money (approximately $300 million annually) for family planning services to states.
In December, Obama's Department of Health and Human Services finalized a rule that anticipated this sort of effort by prohibiting states from withholding Title X family planning money from Planned Parenthood and other providers. This House resolution proposed overturning that HHS rule via the 1996 Congressional Review Act, which allows Congress to repeal new regulations within 60 days of their passage. A version of this bill is also moving through the Senate.
Even though he has flip flopped on the issue in the past, Trump has talked about his belief in punishment for women who have abortions—should the procedure become illegal. Additionally, he has said that defunding Planned Parenthood is a top priority for his administration.
Of course, should the resolution become law, it would not just prevent women from having abortions. Withholding Title X money also means that women won’t be able to access the reproductive health care they need. Civil rights organizations have written letters urging Congress to oppose this bill.
The Title X family planning program is a vital source of family planning and related preventive care for low-income, uninsured, and young people across the country. Every year, more than 4 million individuals access life-saving care such as birth control, cancer screenings, and testing for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV at Title X-funded health centers. Title X cannot succeed unless states and other Title X grantees include providers that are optimally qualified to furnish the range of Title X-funded services according to national standards of care. This task becomes all but impossible if experienced, reputable reproductive health care providers are arbitrarily barred from fair consideration.
Of course, this information won’t stop the Republicans. Why should they be concerned that withholding this money will prevent women from lifesaving care? They want to punish women simply for being women. And with their misogynist allies in the White House, there may be little to stop them.