Statement by NOW President Toni Van Pelt:

The Trump Administration is scheduled to announce its plan to deliver on one of Donald Trump’s signature campaign promises—defunding Planned Parenthood. But that’s not the only harm the new federal rule would cause for women.

Donald Trump wants to change the Title X federal family program to deny federal funding to any clinic that provides abortions or refers patients to places that do—a transparent move directly aimed at Planned Parenthood. Of course, Planned Parenthood doesn’t use any federal funds for abortion—but to Donald Trump, groups that provide essential reproductive care to women are political footballs he can use to score points with his extremist base.

According to the Guttmacher Institute, thousands of other health care providers, mainly community health centers, would struggle to handle the increase in patients if Planned Parenthood had to turn them away. Planned Parenthood operates the sole clinic offering comprehensive contraceptive services in 105 counties in the U.S.

According to a new Quinnipiac poll, 62 percent of voters oppose cutting Planned Parenthood’s funding, while 31 percent are in favor of doing so. And 70 percent of Americans support Roe v. Wade, while 26 percent disagree with the court’s decision.

The Trump administration’s decision to cut funding to Title X highlights its’ complete and utter disregard for women, particularly women of color, uninsured women and low-income individuals. These new provisions not only strip women of their access to crucial reproductive services, its strips them of their autonomy and their right to choose.

NOW opposes this heartless and harmful rule, and we will oppose candidates in the coming election who are complicit in denying women their reproductive care rights. We proudly stand with Planned Parenthood and urge all those who support women’s rights to do the same.

Contact

Dee Donavanik, press@now.org, 951-547-1241