Vermont Business Magazine Planned Parenthood Federation of America on Monday announced that the Trump administration, through what it called an unethical and dangerous gag rule, has forced Planned Parenthood grantees out of Title X, the nation’s decades-old program for affordable birth control and reproductive health care. Planned Parenthood health centers has been a part of the program since it was created, nearly 50 years ago, and have collectively been the largest provider, serving 40 percent of all patients who get care through the Title X program. In Vermont, Planned Parenthood of Northern New England (PPNNE) serves 11,000 people who access affordable birth control, STD testing, cancer screenings, and more through Title X.
Statement from Lucy Leriche, Vice President of Public Affairs, PPNNE in Vermont:
“We refuse to let the Trump administration bully us into withholding abortion information from our patients in Vermont. The gag rule is unethical and dangerous, and we will not subject our patients to it.
“Our doors are still open today, and they will be open tomorrow. We are committed to serving all of our patients in Vermont, no matter what happens in Washington, D.C. We’re grateful to Governor Scott, the Vermont Legislature, Attorney General Donovan, and the Vermont Department of Health for reserving State funds to ensure services like affordable birth control and cancer screenings can continue for 11,000 Vermonters.”
In March of 2019, Planned Parenthood and the American Medical Association sued the Trump- Pence administration to block the Title X gag rule. Although three district courts in the circuit blocked the rule, in July of 2019, the 9th Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals allowed the rule to take effect. Those cases are ongoing, with the 9th Ninth Circuit scheduled to hold oral arguments on September 23. Once HHS said it was enforcing the rule, Planned Parenthood grantees stopped using federal funds but did not withdraw from the program, continuing to serve patients while seeking relief from the 9th Ninth Circuit. However, on Friday, August 9, HHS informed Planned Parenthood grantees that they had until August 19 to provide HHS with a plan to comply with the unethical gag rule, or they would be forced out of the program.
The courts are not the only place where the gag rule is being challenged. In June, the House of Representatives passed a spending package including strong language blocking the Trump-Pence administration’s Title X gag rule from being implemented. Now, the Senate must push for a spending bill that includes protective language to make sure millions of people can continue to access health care through Title X.
Planned Parenthood plays an essential role in the Title X program, serving approximately 40 percent of the 4 million patients who get care through Title X health centers — that’s more than 1.5 million patients. In many communities, Planned Parenthood is the only provider of affordable reproductive health care, or the only provider that offers specialized care like on-site IUD insertion or the birth control shot. People who can’t find or can’t afford another reproductive health care provider may be left with nowhere to turn, or go without the best options for their health care. Even in areas where other providers are present, the providers often lack the capacity to serve additional patients. Community health centers themselves say there is no way they could fill the gap. The idea that other providers could absorb Planned Parenthood’s patients has been resoundingly dismissed by experts. In fact, Dr. Georges Benjamin, the executive director of the American Public Health Association, called the idea “ludicrous." This may put affordable health care out of reach for many underserved communities, including communities of color and rural communities. The majority of patients in the Title X program identify as people of color, Hispanic, or Latino.
About Planned Parenthood Vermont Action Fund: Planned Parenthood Vermont Action Fund is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization formed as the advocacy and political arm of Planned Parenthood of Northern New England. The Action Fund engages in educational activity, including legislative advocacy, and grassroots organizing.