Extended to protect Planned Parenthood
Barack Obama is moving to protect funding for abortion providers such as Planned Parenthood from political attack.
The landmark ruling will block individual US states from stopping funds to Planned Parenthood, or any other family planning provider, as was threatened by President-elect Donald Trump.
President Pussygrabber doesn’t care. He’ll never have to deal with an unwanted pregnancy or need contraception to avoid getting pregnant. He can afford to prevent women from having bodily autonomy.
The service has been widely contested in some states, however, who oppose it on the grounds that some clinics provide abortion services – usually paid for by the patient.
Under the new rule, proposed by the US Department of Health and Human Services, funding would only be withheld to the service if the provider’s “ability to deliver services to program beneficiaries” is not done “in an effective manner”.
In effect, services under the “Title X” programme, which provides basic preventative healthcare for four million low-income earners, cannot be withdrawn due to political reasons.
This notion will be extended to protect Planned Parenthood in all states, regardless of political and religious resistance.
Well done Baz.
Planned Parenthood’s president, Cecile Richards, said: “This will make a real difference in so many people’s lives. Thanks to the Obama Administration, [low income] women will still be able to access the birth control they need to plan their families, and the cancer screenings they need to stay healthy.
“This rule makes it clear that politicians cannot ignore the law as they pursue their agenda to stop women from getting the care they need.”
The misogynist-in-chief-elect will be disappointed.
No one has explained how a President, through rule-making, can “permanently protect” funding for anything. How is this supposed to work? How is this different from what happens in every other administration hand-over: That rules one President makes can be thrown out by the next?
I’m pissed that this article doesn’t even mention that this is a question that needs answered. And everyone is pleased with the news—but *how* is this supposed to work?
Yeah, I don’t really understand how this works either… though I expect Pence and the other Demons of our time would be a lot more nonplussed about this than Cinnamon Hitler. That man just doesn’t give a damn…
Yeah, I don’t know. I wondered that too.
Per Snopes: This is still just a proposed rule, under review by HHS. http://www.snopes.com/obama-permanently-protected-planned-parenthood-from-defunding/
If it’s actually approved, it would block the states from cutting funding for the time being, but, as Josh points out, there’s no reason to think Trump would be unable to override the rule with the same pen-stroke.
Crap, sorry. I assumed the Independent would do better reporting than that.
And should he ever be faced with an inconvenient pregnancy in a wife, daughter, or mistress, he can easily afford to send them over the border, or to Europe to take care of it.
Everyone used to say—like when W was in the White House—the conservatives will never really eliminate abortion. They need it to keep the money rolling in, to keep the base fired up. Is that way of thinking (if it was ever accurate) obsolete now?
@Ben:
I think at one point it certainly was accurate (for “real” Republicans) but now that the crazies are calling all the shots that is probably no longer true. Maybe the “I don’t like either candidate” fools will wake the fuck up in the meantime but I wouldn’t count on it.
‘I assumed the Independent would do better reporting than that.’
Alas the quality of reporting hasn’t gotten any BETTER since the 8th.