In a 7-4 decision yesterday handed down by the full 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the Court gave the Trump administration the “green light” to proceed with a partial defunding of Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood CEO Leana Wen responded by calling it “devastating” that $50-$60 million dollars will now be redirected away from the abortion giant.
“This is devastating news. While we are incredibly concerned the panel did not recognize the harm of the Trump-Pence administration’s gag rule, we will not stop fighting for the millions across the country in need for care,” Wen said on Twitter.
California Family Council previously reported back in February of this year how the Trump administration had finalized a rule designed to redirect as much as $60 million taxpayer funded dollars away from the nation’s largest abortion provider.
Under the previous rule, Planned Parenthood was receiving in excess of $50 million taxpayer dollars in Title X funds. Title X is a federal grant program administered by the Department of Health and Human Services that includes roughly $286 million which it distributes to family healthcare centers. Planned Parenthood receives roughly $50-$60 million of this money. The “Protect Life Rule” filed with the Office of Management and Budget and finalized in late February of 2019 will cut Planned Parenthood and other abortion provider’s access to Title X funding unless it separates abortion from the other services that it claims to provide.
Leana Wen again mistakenly refers to abortion as the “caring” option for women, but once again she is blatantly in the wrong. Planned Parenthood is more concerned with the revenue that performing a high amount of abortions brings in, as opposed to the health and well-being of mothers and their children.
No one disputes that vital healthcare services for women are indeed important, but the fight against redirecting federal taxpayer dollars away from Planned Parenthood is not a fight against women’s health. No one wants to deny poor women quality, comprehensive healthcare services.
Planned Parenthood’s website advertises that it offers abortion, adoption, and parenting services, but the truth is that abortion is the primary option that is pushed on women who reach out to Planned Parenthood for help with adoption or parenting services.
According to Family Research Council, “There are 13,540 federally-qualified, low-cost, high quality health care clinics and rural health centers, which outnumber Planned Parenthood 20 to 1 nationally.” Freeing up $50-$60 million dollars and redirecting it towards pro life pregnancy care centers that actually offer women life affirming options would be a much better use of Title X funds.
