News
Featured Image

WASHINGTON, D.C., July 16, 2019 (LifeSiteNews) – The Trump administration has announced the imminent enforcement of a rule that threatens to cut a tenth of Planned Parenthood’s federal tax funding, after receiving the go-ahead from a federal appeals court.

In February, the administration finalized a rule that will require “clear financial and physical separation between Title X-funded projects and programs or facilities where abortion is a method of family planning,” ban “referral for abortion as a method of family planning,” eliminate a “requirement that Title X providers offer abortion counseling and referral,” and require “more complete reporting by grantees about subrecipients and more clarity about informal partnerships with referral agencies.”

The rule is projected to cut almost $60 million from the $563.8 million Planned Parenthood received during the most recent fiscal year, and redirect it to women’s health providers that aren’t involved in abortions. This has provoked intense anger among abortion supporters and lawsuits from 21 states and the District of Columbia, as well as Planned Parenthood and the American Medical Association (AMA).

In April, U.S. District Judge Stanley Bastian issued a nationwide injunction against the rule, claiming it lacked “proper consideration of sound medical opinions and the economic and non-economic consequences” and likely “creates unreasonable barriers for patients to obtain appropriate medical care.” Last month a 9th Circuit panel reversed the injunction by a 7-4 vote, and last week the full court reaffirmed that decision, allowing the rule to take effect while the case on the merits is litigated.

Following the ruling, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) informed the affected entities that the rule would take effect starting July 15, The Hill reports.

Planned Parenthood CEO Leana Wen, who has called the change “devastating,” says that the abortion giant’s “doors are still open” while it continues to challenge the rule in court. 

The abortion giant claimed it will remain open thanks to its “emergency fund,” insinuating that the organization will struggle to survive without Title X. In fact, Planned Parenthood’s most recent annual report shows the organization not only enjoyed almost a billion dollars in annual private revenue and contributions, but that it will continue to receive over $500 million from taxpayers even without the Title X money.

The abortion lobby’s supporters also insist that defunding Planned Parenthood also impacts the abortion giant’s non-abortion health services (which have been declining relative to abortions). In fact, pro-lifers argue that redirecting the money to other providers will more than make up for it. As of 2015, Federally-Qualified Health Centers and Rural Health Clinics outnumbered Planned Parenthood locations by a factor of twenty.