Trump Cuts Funds to Clinics That Perform Abortions... PP Quickly Sounds Alarm
President Donald Trump took a momentous step to advance the pro-life agenda on Tuesday, and Planned Parenthood — the nation’s largest and most lucrative abortion chain — is furious.
Last week, the Trump administration announced a proposal to cut taxpayer funding of the abortion giant through a rule that would strip Title X funding from clinics that perform abortions.
On Tuesday, that proposal became official.
The new rule requires “a bright line of physical as well as financial separation between Title X programs and any program (or facility) where abortion is performed, supported, or referred for as a method of family planning,” a Trump administration official told the Weekly Standard.
In other words, federal grant family planning money from Title X will no longer be permitted to go toward facilities if abortion is part of what they do.
Although Title X states that “none of the funds appropriated under this title shall be used in programs where abortion is a method of family planning,” it has always been interpreted to “allow Title X programs to refer patients for abortions, be co-located with abortion clinics, and lobby for pro-abortion policies — so long as federal dollars did not directly fund abortions.”
Now, the Trump administration’s new rule requires that “buildings where abortions are performed must be completely separate from other women’s health services. For clinics that provide abortions or referral services, like Planned Parenthood, that could mean no federal funding for those facilities,” PBS explained.
“This proposal does not necessarily defund Planned Parenthood, as long as they’re willing to disentangle taxpayer funds from abortion as a method of family planning,” a Trump administration official said. “Any grantees that perform, support or refer for abortion have a choice: disentangle themselves from abortion or fund their activities with privately raised funds.”
For Title X grantees who choose not to “disentangle” themselves from the abortion business, the funds will be redirected elsewhere — namely, to legitimate health care providers that do not perform abortions.
While Planned Parenthood has long claimed that abortion is only a small part of what the organization does, it lashed out against the Trump administration’s proposal.
And understandably so — Planned Parenthood receives half a billion dollars in taxpayer funding every year, and commits more than 300,000 abortions a year.
On Twitter, the abortion giant claimed the new rule “violates medical ethics,” “prevents women from getting full, accurate health care,” and “takes away care from millions.”
Meanwhile, pro-life advocates around the country cheered the move.
“President Trump has kept his promise to protect the lives of the unborn,” said Mat Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel, a Christian ministry. “This is a positive step toward making the womb a safe place again.”
As noted by Live Action, the move will also protect women from being abused by the abortion industry.
“The proposal will also mandate Title X recipients to follow state and local laws on sexual abuse reporting — something that is a critical issue for Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood has repeatedly been caught covering up child rape and sex trafficking, systematically breaking the law by refusing to notify authorities of statutory rape and suspected human trafficking,” Live Action explained.
“Time after time, Planned Parenthood behaves as if it is above the law, even at the expense of children who have been raped and trafficked. Now, in order to receive Title X funds, organizations will have to prove that they are complying with laws regarding child abuse.”
Despite the expected backlash from the abortion industry, this decision from the Trump administration does what millions of American people demand: Redirect taxpayer money toward health care providers that actually provide a wide range of care for women, instead of clinics that claim to care for women’s health, but in reality revolve around ending the life of the unborn.
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