Planned Parenthood just started charging low-income patients for basic health care services that they used to receive for free.
Individuals who are struggling financially may have to pay for things like cancer screenings, contraception and STD tests and treatments – simply because Planned Parenthood refuses to separate its abortion business from its actual health services.
According to the AP, several state affiliates of the abortion chain plan to charge fees for the health services that once were covered by Title X grants.
Recently, Planned Parenthood refused about $60 million from the grant program because of a new rule from the Trump administration that ensures tax dollars do not subsidize abortions.
In Utah, the Planned Parenthood facilities may begin charging a $10 to $15 co-pay to patients who do not have insurance or are struggling financially, according to the report. Its staff said they also may have shorter hours in the future.
The abortion group’s Minnesota affiliate told the AP about similar plans to charge fees.
“We’ll continue to offer all services, and keep clinic doors open, but we’ll be charging patients on a sliding scale who we didn’t charge before,” said Sarah Stoesz, president of Planned Parenthood North Central States. “Vulnerable people who previously were able to access birth control and STD testing for free will no longer be able to do so.”
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But it was Planned Parenthood’s decision that made it that way. The new Title X rule prohibits recipients of the taxpayer-funded grants from promoting or providing abortions. To be eligible for the funds, Planned Parenthood could have separated its abortion business from its health care services, but it refused.
Patients have other, better options for health care than Planned Parenthood. The Trump administration did not cut Title X funding, so thousands of other health care facilities are still eligible to receive the funds and provide free health care to patients in need. Patients may visit getyourcare.org to find health care centers in their communities. Federally qualified community centers vastly outnumber Planned Parenthood facilities and provide more comprehensive services, just not abortions.
According to the report, most Planned Parenthoods in southern states did not provide Title X services at all. So, few individuals there will be affected.
Planned Parenthood’s total patient numbers are about 2.4 million, and they have been shrinking for years. In the past decade, its facilities provided fewer actual health services covered under Title X, including contraception, cancer screenings and well-women exams, according to Planned Parenthood’s annual reports.
Meanwhile, its abortion numbers continue to grow. Its latest annual report shows 332,757 abortions and a record $1.66 billion in revenue, including about half a billion taxpayer dollars. Killing unborn babies is big business.
The Trump administration is working to defund Planned Parenthood because it is, first and foremost, an abortion business. And most Americans do not want their tax dollars paying for abortions. The Title X rule demonstrated that Planned Parenthood is focused primarily on abortion, not health care, and does not deserve taxpayer funding. Women and babies deserve better.
