Individual states can again opt out of sending their Title X funding to Planned Parenthood. President Trump made it official today by signing legislation passed by Congress. States will now be able to choose where to send the federal dollars for family planning services. This law will allow for women’s health clinics that don’t provide abortions to have more access to federal grants and money so that they can better serve their patients.
This rule comes as a reverse to President Obama’s parting gift to the abortion industry. At in the final weeks of his presidency, Obama implemented a last-minute rule change that prevented states from defunding Planned Parenthood by requiring state and local governments to distribute the federal Title X money to family planning services regardless of whether they performed abortion.
Instead of allowing states and voters to decide, Obama's rule forced taxpayer money into the hands of Planned Parenthood, who performs more than one third of abortions in the United States annually.
Congress was able to roll back this rule using a process called the Congressional Review Act.
This bill signing is the second win for the prolife movement nationally this week, with the swearing in of Justice Gorsuch on Monday being the first.
