The Trump administration has been trying to strip funding from Planned Parenthood since Donald Trump took office. It’s something that’s been on Republicans in state legislatures’ agenda for years. But Planned Parenthood is fighting back. The non-profit organization that provides sexual and reproductive health care to women across the U.S. and globally are currently suing the Trump administration, in efforts to block conservative changes to the family planning grant program Title X.
The Trump administration’s efforts to defund Planned Parenthood could have catastrophic results, such as making it harder for low-income patients to get reproductive health care — especially in red states. The organization claims that the Trump administration is actually violating the purpose of the law, which is to provide family planning such as contraception to patients in efforts to promote conservative and frankly — backwards alternatives like practicing abstinence until marriage — because we all know how well that works, right? Studies have proven that abstinence-only education doesn’t change sexual behavior. Instead, it increases young women and teen’s changes of pregnancy. So there’s that.
Planned Parenthood isn’t the only national reproductive rights group suing the Trump administration. There were actually two lawsuits filed against them on Wednesday. One was by Planned Parenthood but the other was by the National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association and American Civil Liberties Union. All three organizations feel that the changes made to the federal Title X program are going to put millions of women at risk.
The organizations are asking that the court block the document, known as the Federal Opportunity Announcement.
Apparently the Trump administration’s criteria has been to place less focus on contraception and more on abstinence and the language used in the document alludes to that, which is kind of ironic considering the administration is so anti-abortion. Isn’t the best way to avoid an abortion is to have access to contraception? Of course, but clearly the Trump administration’s agenda isn’t actually trying to protect or help women when it comes to reproductive or sexual health. It’s to be in control of their bodies. The same agenda Republicans have had for decades now.
In fact, Dr. Gillian Dean, senior director of medical services at Planned Parenthood said that the Trump administration is “trying to push people toward abstinence or pressure women into marriage — instead of helping them get quality health care.”
“Our bodies are our own and shouldn’t be at the mercy of the Trump-Pence administration,” said Planned Parenthood Executive Vice President Dawn Laguens. “We are going to court to fight for our patients’ health and rights — and for the millions of people in this country who need to access quality reproductive health care.
What’s especially disturbing about the agenda that the Trump administration has regarding Planned Parenthood, are the number of low-income patients — particularly women of color that would lose access to things like abortion, birth control, screenings, and exams. The risk is high especially considering these women make up half of the four million patients who benefit from the organization.
