Planned Parenthood faces federal funding cuts

Recently, President Donald Trump decided to cut a large amount of federal funding that would normally be allocated for Planned Parenthood in a strategic move to stop abortion. Planned Parenthood, staff and supporters are outraged as they feel this move directly opposes its message of providing comprehensive reproductive and complementary health care services to all.

Many feel that Trump is creating his own “gag rule” by not allowing health care providers to hold open conversations about a woman’s reproductive health. A gag rule is a regulation that prohibits public discussion of a particular matter. The first instance of a gag rule was in 1836 regarding slavery, postponing all petitions and negative actions against the act (archives.gov). It resurfaced during the presidential term of Reagan in 1988 to prohibit family planning clinics from providing any abortion-related referrals (guttmacher.org). Under the proposed rule, the government would rule forbid counseling for women who have had abortions and from referring women to have abortions in the near future. It also gets rid of all federal funding for abortions.

Planned Parenthood is a non-profit organization that provides a wide range of care to patients such as men and women’s reproductive health services, LGBT services, HIV services, emergency contraceptives (the morning after pill), different forms of birth control, and abortions and referrals (plannedparenthood.org).

Trumps rule requires places that perform abortions to be separate from the other Planned Parenthood facilities. Out of all the clinics, only half of them perform abortions. But, the facilities that don’t perform abortions, can provide referrals out to the other clinics that do perform them.

Senior policy analyst Kashif Syed, from Planned Parenthood does not entirely see the difference. “Blocking doctors from telling a patient where they can get safe and legal care in this country is the definition of the gag rule” (cbsnews.com) Syed said.

Trump provided $286.5 million in federal grants to facilities that offered family planning services (cbsnews.com). “This change does not allow money to be offered to specific Planned Parenthood facilities that perform abortion services,” Trump said (cbsnews.com)

Because of Trump’s decision, he is expected to cut nearly $60 million from Planned Parenthoods annual funding from the facilities that offer abortions in the same clinic.

Previously, abortions have not been funded federally but instead are required to gather funds elsewhere. However, this is causing controversy about where the federally provided money is going. Planned Parenthood says that the money provided is going towards healthcare of its patients, but this does not include abortions.

According to Planned Parenthood, “600 affiliated healthcare centers are used by more than 5 million people every year. Out of those 5 million, 300,000 consist of abortions,” (plannedparenthood.org). The 4.7 million other people who are going to these centers, are being seen for medical screenings ranging from pelvic cancers, STD and STI care and treatments.

Planned Parenthood says that abortions are funded with money that is not federally provided. If that is the case, the budget cuts Trump is proposing would mean that Planned Parenthood still has less money to perform the same amount of services as before. Other health areas could be suffering from receiving insufficient funds, but with this cut, it could also possibly decrease the number of abortions annually.

According to colorlines.com, the court is currently trying to oppose this rule that is set to take effect May 3.