Planned Parenthood Walks Away from Title X Money, Sen. Sherrod Brown Blames Trump Admin for ‘Taking Health Care Away’

 

United States Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) is attacking President Donald Trump over Planned Parenthood’s decision to walk away from Title X funding.

He told The Columbus Dispatch that he’s “very concerned that the (Trump) administration, which has specialized in taking health care away … is willing to take it away from up to 99,000 Ohio women.”

“This is not about abortion. It’s about contraceptives, it’s about women getting primary care, it’s about counseling on domestic violence, it’s about all the things we should care about if we practice the values that we teach,” Brown stated.

In August, Planned Parenthood announced that “the Trump administration is forcing Planned Parenthood and other providers out of the national program for birth control and reproductive health care — Title X. With an unethical gag rule, the administration is bullying providers into withholding abortion information from their patients.”

“Can I still get free or low-cost services through the Title X program at Planned Parenthood?” the announcement was titled.

“We’re working to make sure that all Planned Parenthood patients can still get the health care they need. Contact your local Planned Parenthood health center to find out how much the services you need cost,” the organization responded.

In contrast to Brown’s claims, Aaron Baer, president of Citizens for Community Values (CCV), tweeted:

“There are 378 Federally Qualified Health Centers in Ohio that offer a full range of health services to low-income men and women, unlike Planned Parenthood’s Pizza Hut Express menu of offerings. Sherrod Brown knows this, but abortion $$ talks.”

The Trump Administration did not cut off funds to Planned Parenthood. The Department of Health and Human Services changed the rules for applying to the Title X Family Planning Program and who is eligible to apply for the money on March 4, 2019.

The rule states, in part, “OPA [Office of Population Affairs] amends the Title X regulations to clarify grantee responsibilities under Title X…to prohibit referral for abortion…[and to] ensure clear physical and financial separation between a Title X program and any activities that fall outside the program’s scope.”

Allie Beth Stuckey from Blaze TV explained Planned Parenthood’s withdrawal from Title X.

“Planned Parenthood made a decision. They made a calculated decision to reject, to reject $60 million a year of Title X funds because they wanted to be able to encourage women to have abortions and didn’t want to financially and physically separate their abortion services from the other services they provide,” she said. “That is a decision that they made because, as Cecile Richards has said, as they have said many times before, abortion is central to what they do.”

While Brown is claiming that “99,000 Ohio women face losing health care,” the same Dispatch article notes, “In Ohio and elsewhere, Planned Parenthood clinics will use emergency funds from the national umbrella organization to provide services, but it’s unclear how long that money will last.”

Planned Parenthood has 20 clinics in Ohio. As CCV’s Aaron Baer tweeted, there are 378 Community Health Center locations. The Ohio Association of Community Health Centers has served nearly 800,000 Ohioans and its services reach 68 of the 88 counties.

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Beth Lear is a reporter at The Ohio Star.  Follow Beth on Twitter.  Email tips to [email protected].
Background Photo “Planned Parenthood Building” by Fibonacci Blue. CC BY 2.0.

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