New Administration Rule That Could Effectively Cut Millions In Federal Funding From Planned Parenthood On Almost Certain Path To Court
The rule announced Friday is not a wholesale defunding of Planned Parenthood -- organizations receiving money through the federal family planning program, called Title X, will still be able to perform abortions. But they will have to do so in a separate facility from their other operations and adhere to the new requirement that they not refer patients to it. Critics say it effectively amounts to a domestic gag rule, and the move is expected to redirect tens of millions of dollars from the women’s health provider to faith-based groups.
The New York Times:
Trump Administration Blocks Funds For Planned Parenthood And Others Over Abortion Referrals
The Trump administration announced on Friday that it will bar organizations that provide abortion referrals from receiving federal family planning money, a step that could strip millions of dollars from Planned Parenthood and direct it toward religiously-based, anti-abortion groups. The new federal rule is almost certain to be challenged in court. Clinics will be able to talk to patients about abortion, but not where they can get one. And clinics will no longer have to counsel women on all reproductive options, including abortion, a change that will make anti-abortion providers eligible for funding. (Belluck, 2/22)
Reuters:
Trump Administration Bans Abortion Referrals At U.S.-Funded Clinics
The new regulation was announced by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as part of Title X, a government family planning program that serves about 4 million people. The program currently subsidizes health centers such as those run by the non-profit Planned Parenthood, which provides contraception, health screenings and abortions. Planned Parenthood serves about 41 percent of Title X patients and receives up to $60 million a year in federal funds for family planning services. (2/22)
The Washington Post:
Trump Administration Bars Clinics That Provide Abortions Or Abortion Referrals From Federal Funding
The change means federally funded family planning clinics can no longer refer a patient for abortion and must maintain a “clear physical and financial separation” between services funded by the government and any organization that provides abortions or abortion referrals. Groups receiving money under the Title X program, which serves an estimated 4 million low-income women, were already prohibited from performing abortions with those funds. The changes, which opponents vowed to challenge, were celebrated by social conservatives who oppose abortion and helped elect President Trump. Health and Human Services Department officials have said they were necessary to ensure transparency and the legal and ethical use of taxpayer funds. (Cha, 2/22)
The Hill:
Trump Steps Up Attack On Planned Parenthood
This could disqualify many of Planned Parenthood’s 600 centers across the country, which receives about a quarter of Title X funds annually to provide reproductive health and preventive services to low-income women. “Planned Parenthood cannot participate in a program that would force our health care providers to compromise our ethics,” President Leana Wen said Friday, when asked by The Hill if Planned Parenthood would continue applying for the funding. (Hellmann, 2/22)
Kaiser Health News:
HHS Finalizes Rule Seeking To Expel Planned Parenthood From Family Planning Program
None of the funds provided for Title X services may be used for abortion. That has been true since the program was created in 1970. But abortion opponents have for decades complained that since many Planned Parenthood affiliates that receive Title X support also provide abortion, the federal family planning money can be improperly commingled with funds used for the procedure. (Rovner, 2/22)
The Wall Street Journal:
Trump Administration Curbs Federal Funding For Clinics Providing Abortions
Title X will instead steer more funding toward clinics that discourage women from seeking abortions. In a release following the rule’s publication, HHS officials said the changes are designed to protect providers who want to offer family-planning services but refuse, on the basis of conscience, to receive federal funding that requires them to make referrals for abortion counseling. Antiabortion groups cheered the move, arguing that the Title X program has long helped to indirectly subsidize abortions by supporting clinics that offer them. (Hackman, 2/22)
Politico:
Trump Administration Issues Rule To Strip Millions From Planned Parenthood
Critics of the new policy, which is bound to be litigated in federal court, say it would amount to a "domestic gag rule" that prohibits health care providers from fully counseling their patients on their reproductive choices. Abortion rights groups have already sued the Trump administration over the way grant funding under the program is being distributed, arguing the criteria improperly stress abstinence over access to all FDA-approved forms of contraception. Several state officials, including Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, have announced an intent to sue over the new policy. (Ollstein, 2/22)
CQ:
HHS Finalizes Family Planning Rule
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro said he intends to sue over the rule. "Pennsylvanians deserve and depend on comprehensive healthcare services and basic information from doctors they trust," said Shapiro. "I will take swift legal action to prevent this attack on Pennsylvanians’ access to healthcare.” Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington also indicated in a statement Friday that litigation is possible. (Raman, 2/22)
Politico:
Trump Abortion Rule Has Both Sides Digging In
"I am committed to fighting the implementation of this rule," said Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), who leads the House's health care appropriations subcommittee. “We’re in the majority now and we have a lot of people in key positions,” said Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.), who chairs the contraception and family planning task force of the House Pro Choice Caucus, speaking about Democrats' broader reproductive rights agenda. “We’re going to interject ourselves into the appropriations process.” But in the face of a divided government, both sides admit the next two years will largely be a fight to preserve the status quo and rally their bases on the divisive issue ahead of the 2020 election. (Ollstein, 2/22)
