Last year, the state chapter of Planned Parenthood received about $3 million in federal money for low-income patients, but a new Trump administration proposal might slash that funding.
On Tuesday, the Department of Health and Human Services announced a proposal that would cut the organization’s budget. The proposed rule would prohibit Title X funding for health care providers offering abortions. Title X, enacted in 1970, provides federal aid for family planning services, specifically targeting low-income and uninsured individuals.
“This gag rule essentially cuts off birth control to those who can’t access it,” said Kim Evert, the CEO of Planned Parenthood of Western Pennsylvania. “It takes away their ability to control their fertility.”
The proposal also restricts how a health care provider can advise a woman about abortion, allowing doctors to mention abortion clinics only when a patient has stated she wants an abortion. A Hart Group study in early May found that 73 percent of Americans disapprove of this provision, including 77 percent of women.
Regulations already prohibit federal money from funding abortions, Ms. Evert stressed. The Title X funding pays for Planned Parenthood to offer gynecological exams, screening for sexually transmitted infections, contraception and other reproductive health care annually to 4 million people nationwide.
Pennsylvania has the third largest number of Title X patients in the nation with more than 200,000 residents receiving services. And Planned Parenthood serves 36 percent of those patients, the largest share of any Pennsylvania provider.
The proposal may not go into effect for five months or longer, Ms. Evert said. In the meantime, Planned Parenthood is gearing up to oppose the bill.
Members will be on the ground this weekend outside of HHS and congressional offices, said Sari Stevens, the executive director of Planned Parenthood Pennsylvania Advocates. The national organization also is collecting letters online to “Stop the Gag Rule.”
However, if the proposal goes into effect, it’s unclear how Planned Parenthood will adjust. In addition to contracts with private insurance providers and Medicaid, the organization also has smaller funding streams, such as state-specific funds for cervical cancer and breast cancer screenings, Ms. Stevens said. But finding funding to fill the gap is uncertain.
“There is no method by which individual donations should or could backfill lost revenue from government agencies to fund patient care,” she said.
Given the unknowns, Ms. Stevens wouldn’t speculate about the future, but she remained firm about the organization’s role.
“Access to abortion and providing abortion care is a core part of our mission. Period.
“We’re going to fight tooth and nail to make sure that this does not become law,” Ms. Stevens said. “Our doors are open, and we will be here to serve our patients today, tomorrow and for the next hundred years.”
Arya Sundaram: asundaram@post-gazette.com or 412-263-4844.
Updated May 25: The amount of federal money the Pennsylvania chapter of Planned Parenthood receives annually was incorrect in an earlier version. That has been corrected.
First Published: May 24, 2018, 12:11 a.m.
Updated: May 24, 2018, 12:20 a.m.
