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GOP bill would bar Planned Parenthood from Title X
A House GOP bill reintroduced Friday would keep Planned Parenthood from receiving funds under Title X, a federal family-planning program, because the group provides abortions with separate dollars.
The Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act has at least 24 Republican co-sponsors, many of whom came to office in the 2010 wave election.
The bill seeks to eliminate any organization that offers abortions as a provider under Title X, a program created under President Nixon that subsidizes preventive healthcare for low-income women.
Under the new measure, "Title X federally funded grants will no longer be awarded to Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion provider in the United States, or any other organization that abuses their privileges as healthcare providers and fails to protect life by providing abortions," said Rep. Diane Black (R-Tenn.), who supports the bill.
Planned Parenthood has been a major target for House Republicans since 2010.
Conservative lawmakers have gone after the group's public funding in several spending bills, and at least eight states have done the same, including Texas, where the move has led to a lengthy court battle.
Planned Parenthood provides a range of federally supported medical services under Title X. The offerings vary by clinic but include birth control, pelvic exams, Pap tests and screenings for sexually transmitted diseases, high blood pressure and diabetes.
The president of the group's political arm, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, responded to the GOP bill in a statement Friday.
"One in five women in the United States has turned to Planned Parenthood for healthcare at some point in her life, and Americans recognize the crucial role that our preventive healthcare services play in keeping women healthy. Planned Parenthood is good for women’s health and good for the economy," Cecile Richards said.
Last year, former Rep. Robert Dold (Ill.), a supporter of abortion rights, floated a bill to protect public funding for Planned Parenthood. Read more about that measure at Healthwatch.
—This post was updated at 7:07 p.m.
