OPINION:
Planned Parenthood, America’s largest abortion provider, won bigly today.
The Biden administration began the process of restoring federal grants to them, rolling back a Trump administration “gag rule” that prohibited Title X grants from going to organizations where abortion was a method of family planning or that issued referrals to abortion clinics. Planned Parenthood could’ve been eligible for the funding if it gave up its abortion practice, but it was unwilling to do so, and dropped the funding.
It challenged the Trump-era policy in court and praised the Biden administration today for beginning the process to reverse it.
“The proposed regulations released today, when finalized, will end the Title X gag rule and make other modifications to strengthen the program and better ensure access to equitable, affordable, client-centered, quality health care services for patients under Title X,” said CEO and president Alexis McGill-Johnson.
Although Title X funds cannot be used for abortion itself, money is fungible – and provided an indirect taxpayer subsidy to Planned Parenthood. In addition to banning abortion referrals, the Trump administration required federally funded clinics to financially and physically separate themselves from facilities that provided abortions – so that an abortion referral couldn’t be made in one room, and provided in another.
The Biden administration said their reversal will restore Title X to how it ran in President Barack Obama’s years and expects the clinics that left the program under President Trump to return.
Title X makes available about $286 million annually in grants to support women’s healthcare clinics. Before exiting the program in 2019, Planned Parenthood and its affiliates served an estimated 40% of the program’s 4 million patients.
So far, Mr. Biden is delivering on his radical, pro-abortion, pro-Planned Parenthood campaign promises.
In another blow to pro-life advocates this week, Mr. Biden’s Food and Drug Administration said women didn’t have to visit a doctor’s office to receive a prescription for an abortion pill, and could instead get it via a telehealth visit.
In Mr. Biden’s second week in office, he rescinded the Trump administration’s ban on government funding for foreign non-profits that perform or promote abortions, dubbed the Mexico City Policy, via executive order.
Many progressive lawmakers and pro-choice advocates are pushing Mr. Biden to go further — which he most likely will do.
The Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus has asked Mr. Biden to rescind an executive order that restricts abortion access under the Affordable Care Act — which would directly pump taxpayer money into the abortion industry. And over 90 advocacy groups, including Planned Parenthood, are also lobbying Mr. Biden to rescind the Hyde Amendment, which on the campaign trail he promised to do.
Mr. Biden, who fancies himself a devout Catholic, campaigned on one of the most radical pro-abortion agenda’s in modern history.
On the trail, Mr. Biden stated he would use the Justice Department to strike down state parental notification laws, waiting periods, or ultrasound requirements for those seeking abortions. Mr. Biden said he had a pro-abortion litmus test for federal judges, and bragged about opposing Supreme Court nominees that he thought opposed Roe v. Wade.
Vice President Kamala Harris’ position on abortion is even more radical — she supports abortion up until the day of birth, and voted against bills to protect the lives of babies that survive abortions and ban abortion after 20 weeks while serving in the U.S. Senate.
Now as president and vice president, they’re delivering on their radical pro-abortion agenda, violating the religious liberties and beliefs of millions of Americans, one rule and executive order at a time.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.