President Donald Trump’s administration is pausing funding for Planned Parenthood and other abortion and healthcare facilities to determine if they are complying with its anti-Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives.
During the pause, Planned Parenthood would lose approximately $20 million in federal funding. The move would be a major blow to the organization, even in blue states where Planned Parenthood has most of its operating facilities.
Some states appear not to have changed their websites. Planned Parenthood’s website for central and western New York still contains a diversity statement.
Planned Parenthood criticized Trump’s move, saying it was blackmail. In a statement to some Fox News stations, the organization said,
“This is blackmail. President Trump and Elon Musk are holding Planned Parenthood patients hostage by slashing funds from birth control providers who receive Title X grants.
The Trump-Vance-Musk administration wants to shut down Planned Parenthood health centers by any means necessary, and they’ll end people’s access to birth control, cancer screenings, STI testing and treatment, and more to do it. This is shameful yet unsurprising — and we won’t let it happen without a fight.”
Students for Life, a pro-life organization, says that there is a path forward for Trump to cut funding. They stated, in part, on their website,
“Because Planned Parenthood has qualified to participate in all kinds of programs or been given grants, they can keep cashing checks. To DISQUALIFY them, we will need to show that there are serious issues in an organization they admit was founded by a confirmed racist. Unsurprisingly, the issues didn’t stop with its founding, meaning there is a case to be made to cut them off.
The government has a process for Suspension & Debarment of people and/or companies doing business with the United States, described here by the U.S. General Services Administration.
After an investigation, a “non-responsible” contractor can be cut off – debarred – from doing business with the government, usually for a period of up to 3 years, when they could come back and try again. During that investigation, however, funds can be suspended.”
What may ultimately determine the path of the Trump administration could be the U.S. Supreme Court hearing a case on Wednesday about whether states can prevent Planned Parenthood from receiving Medicaid funding. A positive outcome there for pro-life organizations seeking to restrict tax-payer funding from going to Planned Parenthood could be a good sign for Trump.
The case originates from South Carolina, which cut off Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood through an executive order from its governor in 2018. The case has been tied up in the courts for years now and will be a significant stumbling block for Planned Parenthood’s operation in red states if it is upheld.
Red states have seen a lot of Planned Parenthood closures since the Dobbs opinion in June of 2022.
NBC News reported in October 2022, just months after the Dobbs opinion, that over 60 clinics had stopped providing abortion services. Additionally, the report said that 26 clinics had entirely closed in just a few months, primarily in red states.
Idaho, for example, had three Planned Parenthood facilities in June 2022. A clinic in Boise, the capital, closed shortly after Dobbs, and another in Twin Falls closed late last year, leaving Idaho with only one remaining clinic in Meridian.
An opinion from the Court that funding can be cut off from the state Medicaid funds would likely force more closures.
Do you support Trump’s move to cut funding to Planned Parenthood, and which side do you believe the Supreme Court will land with in the South Carolina case? Let us know in the comments below.
