On Thursday, 7/11/2019, the 9th Circuit Court refused to block the Trump’s administrations restrictive Title X Family planning rules from taking effect. These new rules prevented any Title X grant recipients from referring clients for abortions, and thereby indirectly effectively ripping all Federal Funding from Planned Parenthood, even for non abortion related health services.
Established in 1970, Title X provides affordable birth control and reproductive health care to people with low incomes who couldn’t otherwise afford health care services on their own. Over 4 million people rely on Title X annually. Federal Title X funding helps ensure that every person—regardless of where they live, how much money they make, their background or whether or not they have health insurance has access to basic preventive reproductive health care. www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/...
Since 1972 , the Hyde amendment already restricts US federal funding for abortions (except to save the live of a woman, or if the pregnancy arises from incest or rape). en.wikipedia.org/... Because of this amendment, Planned Parenthood does not currently use federal funds for abortion referrals and services. Instead those services are funded through grants and private donations.
But abortion referrals are just one of many birth control and reproductive health services that Planned Parenthood provides. In Planned Parenthood’s 2017-2018 report Planned parenthood has served 2.4 million patients
- 4,721,985 STI tests and treatment
- 741,352 HIV tests
- 240,489 STI’s diagnosed
- 2,620,867 Birth Control Information and services
- 1,870,664 Reversible contraception clients
- 631,510 Emergency contraception kits
- 570,444 Breast Exams and Pap Tests
- 70,193 women whose cancer was detected early or who had abnormalities identified
- 1.2 million people reached through education and out reach www.plannedparenthood.org
All of these non abortion related services offered by Planned Parenthood for low income clients are reimbursed by Federal Dollars under Title X ---just like any private clinic or hospital.
Now the Trump administration has singled out Planned Parenthood to expand restrictions by saying that Title X funds cannot go to reimbursing any services offered by an organization if they also provide abortion referrals. So all the tests and services listed above would not be reimbursed simply because Planned Parenthood also does abortion referrals
Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued this statement after the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals refused to block the Trump Administration’s Title X gag rule, which threatens to deny access to health care and family planning services to many vulnerable families
“This is heartbreaking news for millions of vulnerable women and families across America.
“The Trump Administration’s gag rule perfectly showcases their utter disdain for women’s health and women’s rights. This misguided ruling paves the way for politicians to deny women access to the basic preventive and primary health care that is their right, including affordable contraception, cancer screenings and critical health information necessary to make decisions about their bodies and families.
“The Trump Administration’s assault on women’s health care and rights must end now. House Democrats will continue to be relentless in our defense of families’ affordable, quality health care and we will never stop fighting for the millions who rely on this popular, life-saving pillar of health care.” www.speaker.gov/...
other reactions Advocates for Youth
The 9th Circuit Court has joined the war on young people, people of color, low income families, and all those who need quality reproductive health care with Thursday’s decision to allow the Trump Administration’s Title X Gag Rule to take effect.
In May 2018, the Trump administration released a proposed rule that essentially dismantled Title X, the nation’s federal family planning program designed to provide affordable reproductive health services to those in need, including youth and young adults. The administration followed it with a rule that will make it impossible for patients to get preventive care at Planned Parenthood, which until now has served 41 percent of the 4 million people who have benefitted from the Title X program, and establishes an abortion “gag rule” that prohibits health clinics with Title X funding from educating about, referring patients to l or providing abortion care. In short the rule removes the guarantee that patients at Title X clinics receive full and accurate information about their reproductive and sexual health. advocatesforyouth.org/...
From Planned Parenthood
Planned Parenthood will not stand for this attack on millions of people across the country. We will be immediately seeking emergency relief from the Court of Appeals,” Planned Parenthood President Leana Wen said in a statement.
“Planned Parenthood will not let the government censor our doctors and nurses from informing patients where and how they can access health care. We will continue to fight the Trump administration in the courts and alongside champions in Congress to protect everyone’s fundamental right to health care,” she added.
Planned Parenthood said Thursday that it will not participate in the Title X program if the rule permanently takes effect. In the short term, it will rely on emergency funds to keep its clinics running thinkprogress.org/...
While Planned Parenthood may be able to use emergency funds while it establishes a grant and private donor base for it’s services, other clinics may no longer be able to subsidize care for low income patients, because they will be losing a major source of revenue.
Abortion referrals represent only 3% of Planned Parenthood’s budget representing 332,757 abortion procedures in 2017-2018.