Yesterday the U.S. House of Representatives voted 230-188 on House Joint Resolution 43, which would nullify a last-minute regulation created in the final days of President Obama’s tenure. This regulation prevented states from redirecting their Title X funds away from Planned Parenthood and other abortion clinics, making states unable to defund Planned Parenthood.
This last minute rule change poses a huge problem; many states had already elected to redirect their Title X funding to different health clinics throughout their respective states. Every state and community has different needs, and many states and communities do not want their tax dollars going to Planned Parenthood or other clinics that perform abortions. The resolution the U.S. House approved would allow states to make their own decisions.
The $300 million in funding for Title X comes from the federal government and Medicaid. Like Medicaid Title X is jointly administered by states and the federal government. It was enacted in 1970 by President Richard Nixon, before Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton were decided in 1973. The program is designed to provide several services to low-income women including birth control, sexually-transmitted disease tests, cancer screenings, pregnancy tests, etc. For every Planned Parenthood office in America there are 20-times the number of community health centers that provide those services, and some offer services that Planned Parenthood does not like mammograms.
This resolution is now headed to the Senate for a vote. Please contact our Michigan Senators, Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow, and tell them: "Please vote YES on H.J. Res. 43 to rescind the Obama rule preventing states from redirecting Title X funds away from groups like Planned Parenthood."
MI Congressman Tim Walberg testified in favor of the resolution
MI Congressman John Moolenaar released a statement supporting the resolution
