Protect Access to Vital Health Care Services: Oppose Cuts To Planned Parenthood

I urge you oppose efforts to cut federal and state funding for Planned Parenthood, especially given the critical services they provide to low-income women and underserved communities across the nation. Planned Parenthood has been a cornerstone of sexual and reproductive health services since 1916, serving over 2 million patients annually through close to 600 clinics nationwide. In many communities, Planned Parenthood is the only clinic offering essential reproductive health care, including contraception, sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing and treatment, pregnancy testing, and cancer screenings like Pap smears and breast exams, along with other preventive services. Millions of Americans depend on Planned Parenthood for care. KFF Health Tracking Poll data (https://www.kff.org/womens-health-policy/issue-brief/major-federal-and-state-funding-cuts-facing-planned-parenthood/) shows that one in three women (32%) and one in ten men (11%) have visited a Planned Parenthood clinic for care. Notably, nearly half of Black women and over four in ten individuals with Medicaid have received services there. Among Medicaid patients who used Planned Parenthood for family planning care, 85% obtained contraceptive services, and about half received STI and/or gynecological care. The Trump Administration is currently withholding $20.6 million in Title X funds from all nine Planned Parenthood grantees, impacting 144 clinics in 20 states, due to alleged misalignment with the president’s opposition to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. This has led to the closure of two Planned Parenthood clinics in Utah and four in Michigan. Six Planned Parenthood affiliates currently receive $5.6 million annually from the teen pregnancy prevention program to implement evidence-based programs aimed at reducing teen pregnancies and STIs in populations with the greatest unmet need. KFF analysis indicates that the network of safety net providers, such as health centers and health departments, would not have the capacity to fully absorb the loss of Planned Parenthood in many communities. For example, prior research in Texas found that removing Planned Parenthood from a family planning waiver program resulted in reduced contraceptive continuation and an increase in Medicaid covered births. Cutting funding to Planned Parenthood will not only harm millions of patients, particularly low-income women who have limited health care options, but it will also undermine public health by reducing access to essential preventive care and family planning services. I urge you to vote NO on any legislation that seeks to defund Planned Parenthood or exclude them from federal and state programs like Medicaid and Title X. It is imperative that you stand with your constituents and protect access to vital health care services. Thank you for your time and attention to this urgent matter.