U.S. Senator Tina Smith visited the Planned Parenthood health center in Richfield to discuss the disproportionate impact of Title X cuts on women with low incomes and communities of color in Minnesota.
Two federal judges issued preliminary injunctions to stop the Trump-Pence administration’s gag rule in late April. While this is a huge victory for patients and doctors, this relief is only temporary, while the case continues to be litigated.
“The Trump-Pence administration is unconscionably targeting low-income women and women of color, jeopardizing affordable birth control and health care for Minnesotans who rely on Planned Parenthood. We will continue to fight this unethical gag rule in court and in Congress and do all we can to protect our patients’ health and rights,” said Sarah Stoesz, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood North Central States (PPNCS.)
The gag rule will ban any health care provider that refers patients for safe, legal abortion from receiving Title X funds, thereby excluding Planned Parenthood patients from the only source of federal funding for family planning. “The fundamental promise of the relationship between a health care provider and a patient is that they will give you all of the facts, not just some of the facts,” said U.S. Senator Tina Smith. We’re talking about birth control. Is that really controversial in 2019?”
Nearly 53,000 Minnesotans rely on Title X to cover the cost of services like contraception, STD testing and treatment, HIV testing, and breast and cervical cancer screenings. About one million Minnesotans have been served by the program since it was established in 1970. The Trump administration’s gag rule would directly affect women of low-incomes and women of color. Planned Parenthood patients like Jocelyn who said, “I don’t know what I would do without Planned Parenthood. That’s why I wanted to speak today—because someone is trying to take that security away from me.”
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Planned Parenthood North Central States and its subsidiary organizations provide, promote, and protect reproductive and sexual health through high quality care, education and advocacy. A member of America’s most trusted reproductive health care provider, our affiliate is proud to support and operate 29 health centers across our five-state region (Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota). Each year, we provide health care to nearly 115,000 people and health education to more than 99,000 people in our region.
Tags: minnesota