Planned Parenthood defies Trump abortion-referral rule
WASHINGTON — Federally funded family planning clinics, including Planned Parenthood, are defying the Trump administration’s ban on referring women for abortions, drawing a line against what they say amounts to keeping patients in the dark about legitimate health care options.
“We are not going to comply with a regulation that would require health care providers to not give full information to their patients,” Jacqueline Ayers, the group’s top lobbyist, said Tuesday. “We believe as a health care provider it is wrong to withhold health care information from patients.”
The fallout remains to be seen, but groups like the American Medical Association have been warning that many lowincome women could lose access to basic services like contraception. Planned Parenthood’s announcement came on a day when it also replaced its president, although it’s unclear if there was any connection.
The Department of Health and Human Services formally notified the clinics Monday that it would begin enforcing the new regulation banning abortion referrals, along with a requirement that clinics maintain separate finances from facilities that provide abortions. The rule is being challenged in federal court, but the administration says there is currently no legal obstacle to enforcing it.
There was no immediate response from HHS to Planned Parenthood’s decision, which came as the group abruptly announced the departure of its president, physician Leana Wen, who had only been in the post for eight months. Alexis Mcgill Johnson was named acting president.
With about 400 affiliated clinics, Planned Parenthood is the largest provider in the federal family planning program for low-income women, known as Title X. The program does not pay for abortions.
Ayers said Tuesday that Planned Parenthood clinics will stop accepting federal money and tap emergency funding as they press Congress and the courts to reverse the administration’s ban. She said she’s not sure how long that backup funding will last.