Trump wants to destroy Planned Parenthood

Mother Jones - In an unprecedented move, the White House is set to release a budget proposal that would withhold all federal funds from abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood. The impact would be far-reaching. Federal funds are already prohibited from being used to pay for most abortions; the new proposal, if approved by Congress, would bar health care providers around the country from receiving federal support for things like STD treatment, cancer screenings, and even Zika prevention—if they also happen to provide abortions.

The budget's executive summary proposes that "certain entities that provide abortions, including Planned Parenthood," be excluded from receiving any federal funds from the Department of Health and Human Services through Medicaid and other health programs.

In practice, this will mean that Planned Parenthood and other entities that provide abortions would suddenly be excluded from participating in the full array of federally funded health programs, even though it is already illegal for federal money to pay for most abortions, thanks to the Hyde amendment. This includes Medicaid—low-income patients would be unable to use their Medicaid coverage for non-abortion care at Planned Parenthood clinics. It includes Title X family planning grants, which help fund reproductive health care around the country. It includes Violence Against Women Act grants aimed at sexual assault prevention and Centers for Disease Control grants intended to help prevent breast and cervical cancer. It even includes CDC funding for prevention and education efforts relating to Zika virus, which causes severe birth defects.

In 2015, 43 percent of Planned Parenthood's revenue came from government health services grants and Medicaid reimbursement. About 60 percent of the organization's 2.5 million patients rely on Medicaid or Title X to pay for their care at Planned Parenthood facilities. Under the administration's budget proposal, all of these patients would have to find somewhere else to get their care.