Planned Parenthood filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration Wednesday over new requirements for groups seeking to receive Title X family planning grants.
The Trump administration is “trying to push people toward abstinence or pressure women into marriage — instead of helping them get quality health care,” said Dr. Gillian Dean, senior director of medical services at Planned Parenthood, reports the Hill:
The Title X program connects 4 million people with birth control, STI testing, and breast and cervical exams.
Trump's @HHSGov is pushing "sexual risk avoidance," abstinence, and marriage — instead of helping them get health care. See you in court. #IStandWithPP pic.twitter.com/LYF0jq9oV4
— Planned Parenthood Action (@PPact) May 2, 2018
The abortion industry has long espoused the notion that contraception and abortion are “health care.” Former Planned Parenthood president and CEO Cecile Richards testified in 2015 before the House Oversight Committee that “abortion is health care.”
In February, the Trump administration announced a grant program under the Title X family planning program that has $260 million available to grantees that do not perform abortions.
The Trump administration said it hopes to assist family planning projects that “promote optimal health outcomes” and might include “family planning methods and services, including information, education and counseling related to family planning, preconception care, contraception, natural family planning and infertility services.”
The Trump administration is seeking to support groups and organizations that provide quality, comprehensive health care for women, teens, and families, and that encourage healthy decision-making. Organizations like Planned Parenthood have promoted the “morning after” pill and abortions for illegal immigrants.
The National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) have also filed separate lawsuits against the Trump administration. Ruth Harlow, an ACLU attorney said the administration is “trying to sneak through major change in Title X in the fine print of a grant announcement.”
Andrea Picciotti-Bayer, legal advisor with the Catholic Association, described Planned Parenthood’s lawsuit against the Trump administration as “hypocrisy” that “knows no bounds.”
“Once again Planned Parenthood is trying to restrict the choices of women – in this case to try and maintain their virtual monopoly on federal grants for family planning programs,” she said. “Enough is enough. Women deserve more than simply what Planned Parenthood offers.”
Students for Life of America (SFLA) President Kristan Hawkins said the lawsuits are a sign that “Planned Parenthood and abortion vendors seem terrified that people will discover just how easy it will be to live a healthy life without them.”
“People make many medical choices that don’t include Planned Parenthood, and the Trump Administration is to be commended for attempting to redirect Title X dollars away from abortion vendors,” she explained. “Consider that there are more than 13,500 community health centers compared to little more than 660 Planned Parenthood clinics, and that people may go to private physicians or other organizations for family planning.”
SFLA and the Catholic Association were among 100 national and state pro-life organizations that joined together with some 200 members of Congress to urge the Trump administration to revise Title X family planning funding rules in order to ban abortion providers like Planned Parenthood from receiving funds.
“Nobody goes to Planned Parenthood for a flu shot, and nobody has to go to Planned Parenthood for any kind of health care,” Hawkins said. “The greed of the abortion lobby is on display as once again they go to court to force taxpayers to fund their enterprise.”
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.