"Defunding" is Discrimination
Politicians are trying again to "defund" Planned Parenthood — which means blocking patients from getting the vital preventive care they need.
Missouri's safety net cannot serve patients without Planned Parenthood
The health care safety net needs more resources, not fewer providers
Report finds only 7% of health centers in the state other than Planned Parenthood offer accessible and comprehensive family planning care
In 2018,2019, and 2020 Missouri lawmakers passed budget bills that discriminate against Planned Parenthood patients. The "defunding" measures were designed to block patients in MO HealthNet (Missouri's Medicaid program) and the Women's Health Services Program from choosing Planned Parenthood for their health care, including birth control, cancer screenings, and STI testing and treatment.
“Defunding” Planned Parenthood means fewer patients get the health care they need. Participation in the Women's Health Services Program dropped by nearly 35% after politicians excluded Planned Parenthood health centers and other providers.
Planned Parenthood fought back and won. In a June 2020 ruling, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled that it is unlawful for lawmakers to use the budget process to let politicians pick doctors rather than allow patients to pick their own health care providers.
Despite the clear ruling from the Missouri Supreme Court, lawmakers are trying again.
Let’s be clear: This is about access to birth control, cancer screenings, and STI testing and treatment. Not abortion. Current law already — unjustly — bars patients in these programs from using their coverage for abortion. But anti-abortion politicians are so obsessed with Planned Parenthood that they cut patients' access to preventive care anyway.
Discriminating against patients by blocking them from getting their health care at Planned Parenthood is wrong. These "defunding" attacks also violate Medicaid's "free choice of provider" provision, which protects patients' right to choose their own provider.
Planned Parenthood is a crucial component of Missouri’s health care safety net, providing thousands of patients high-quality care that is both accessible and comprehensive. Despite repeated "defunding" attacks, Planned Parenthood has continued to offer vital preventive care to Missourians.
Political attacks aimed at Planned Parenthood only result at fewer patients getting the care they need.
Planned Parenthood is a crucial component of the safety net
There's a common misconception that if Planned Parenthood is removed from the Title X network that other health care providers will just pick up the slack. I can tell you that this simply isn't the case — the health care safety net is already stretched too thin as it is,
Michelle Trupiano, Executive Director
Missouri Family Health Council
Besides Planned Parenthood, only 7% of more than 600 safety-net health centers offer a full range of birth control options and have evening or weekend hours
Missouri’s safety net needs more resources, not fewer providers:
- 86% of non-Planned Parenthood providers DO NOT offer evening or weekend hours.
- 71% of non-Planned Parenthood providers DO NOT offer long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) like IUDs.
- 41% of non-Planned Parenthood providers DO NOT offer birth control and Pap tests.
Each of Missouri’s 11 Planned Parenthood health centers provides comprehensive and accessible care.
If patients can no longer choose Planned Parenthood, many will have nowhere to turn to access vital preventive care — the remaining health centers will not be able to absorb them
Federally qualified health centers simply don’t have the resources to offer the kind of drop-in care that’s Planned Parenthood’s specialty.
Dr. Abbe Sudvarg
St. Louis Public Radio, March 24, 2016