Trump gag rule devastates women’s access to health care
The notion of President Donald Trump offering medical advice on any topic should send shudders down the spines of Americans.
Imagine him being in the doctor’s office when a women is discussing family planning issues with her physician. It’s wrong on so many levels, starting with the idea that men know what’s best for women and their health
But the president, in effect, did just that Friday. Trump announced that his administration will bar organizations that provide abortion referrals from participating in the $286 million Title X federal familyplaning program that serves more than 4 million patients, mostly lowincome women.
Congress can’t make it right. Not with Trump poised to veto corrective legislation. The only hope rests with states already working to challenge the gag rule. Doctors at medical clinics should have the ability to have candid discussions with their patients about all legal care options, including abortion.
Trump is targeting Planned Parenthood, which gets $60 million from the program and serves about 40 percent of Title X patients. The president wants to put Planned Parenthood out of business because a tiny portion of its services — 3 percent — go to provide abortions. Never mind that the organization doesn’t use federal money to fund abortions. Indeed, federal law already prohibits using Title X funds for abortions.
Planned Parenthood Mar Monte CEO Stacy Cross says there is no question that federal funding cuts are going to leave people without health care in California. A significant number of the 250,000 women her affiliate cares for in 35 clinics, stretching across Northern and Central California and Northern Nevada, could lose services
But the most devastating impact would be in rural regions throughout the country that lack the alternative resources found in the Bay Area, which has 19 Planned Parenthood clinics in Alameda, Contra Costa, Santa Clara, San Francisco and San Mateo counties
Planned Parenthood uses Title X funding to offer contraception, HIV testing, treatment of sexually transmitted diseases, screening for breast and cervical cancer, pregnancy tests and counseling, and educational programs.
Title X programs have proven results. A Guttmacher Institute study reveals that the affordable birth control that Title X provides prevents 1 million unintended pregnancies each year, resulting in tens of thousands fewer abortions. The institute also estimates that every dollar invested through Title X saves $7.09 in Medicaid-related costs.
The Title X national family planning program had broad, bipartisan support when it was created in 1970. It was championed by a Republican, then-Rep. George H.W. Bush, and signed into law by another Republican, President Richard Nixon.
“We need to make population and family planning household words.” Bush said in 1969 when Congress took up the issue.
Title X programs have enabled Planned Parenthood to improve the lives of women across the United States and helped reduce the teenage pregnancy rate for three consecutive decades.The president should stop trying to undermine that success to appease his rightwing base.
— San Jose Mercury News,
MediaNews Group