Trump Administration Takes Steps to End Planned Parenthood Funding



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TThe Trump administration issued a final rule Friday that would require family planning clinics to be housed in separate buildings of abortion clinics, which would cut family planning from some federal funding.

The rule applies to a grant of $ 286 million a year, known as Title X, which covers birth control, sexually transmitted disease screening and cancer screening. for 4 million low-income people. This requires the "physical and financial" separation of family planning services and abortion.

Federal funds are not allowed to fund abortions except in cases of rape, incest or pregnancy threatening a woman's life. Opponents of abortion, however, have long struggled for rules similar to that put forward on Friday because they claim that the allocation of federal funds to clinics such as Planned Parenthood releases additional funding for allow abortions. The organization receives between $ 50 and $ 60 million of Title X.

The rule will probably be challenged in federal court.

Planned Parenthood, which covers about 40% of people who use Title X for medical services, has been criticized by the Trump administration for providing abortions. Republicans in Congress have failed to cut funding for Planned Parenthood, leaving anti-abortion groups to rely on the White House to advance their cause.

The rule does not fund all family planning, as some Republicans demand, because the organization receives other public funds. In addition to government funding, he receives donations and reimbursements for services provided by insurers. The rule, however, would require facilities to make major changes or waive tens of millions of dollars.

This would also prevent providers from remitting abortions for family planning or practice promotion purposes if they receive Title X grants. For this reason, critics have often referred to it as a "rule of thumb". gag".

The Trump administration has denied that this proposal would prevent doctors from advising women on abortion.

One of the main objectives of the proposal is to transfer federal funds from Planned Parenthood and other organizations providing abortion services to community and rural health centers, or to lobby Planned Parenthood. and other institutions for them to stop providing abortions.

The rule is similar to the 1988 policy introduced by former President Ronald Reagan, which required that family planning services have a "physical separation" and a "separate staff" of providers. d & # 39; abortions.

Planned Parenthood and other groups challenged in court the rule of the Reagan era. The Supreme Court allowed the policy to go forward, but it has never been applied completely. The then President, Bill Clinton, canceled the rules in 1994.

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