Commentary: The reality of 'defunding' Planned Parenthood in Orange County
Congress has passed Trump's budget bill and in doing so, they have jeopardized access to basic healthcare. The Trump administration and Congress have turned their backs on our communities, and the consequences of this bill will echo for generations in Southern California.
One of the central provisions of this bill is 'defunding' Planned Parenthood, by excluding all Planned Parenthood health centers from any Medicaid reimbursement, simply because the organization provides abortion services. Far from being a 'handout' as some characterize it, Medicaid is actually a federal health insurance program that reimburses providers for medical services. By blocking Planned Parenthood from Medicaid, the Trump administration and its Republican allies have unjustly blocked the largest provider of reproductive healthcare in the country from accessing any federal reimbursement for all services, including birth control, STI testing/treatment and cancer screening.
Here's the truth: the government has already prohibited federal funds from being used for abortion since 1977, thanks to the Hyde Amendment. But now, upset that they have not been able to ban abortion outright, Republican lawmakers have chosen to block access to more than 90% of the services we provide each year by excluding us from a major health insurance program enabling millions of low-income Americans to get healthcare.
Republicans have turned misinformation into policy, traded facts for fear — and sacrificed lives for leverage.
Defunding Planned Parenthood is not about balancing the country's budget. This is a blatant attack on healthcare access for people who need it the most, and a backdoor attempt to block people from accessing abortion, birth control, and other medical services that most Americans support and are legally protected in California.
They may operate from hate, but we act from humanity. For Planned Parenthood of Orange and San Bernardino Counties (PPOSBC), that means showing up, no matter what.
At PPOSBC, we are exploring every possible budgetary solution to ensure that the more than 130,000 patients who rely on us for care each year can continue to access the medical services they need. Like any health care provider in this country that accepts Medicaid, we receive federal funding as reimbursement for the care we provide. Now we are being forced to make some tough decisions as a result of this targeted and unjust attack on the patients we serve. However, we refuse to let cancers go undetected or let STIs go untreated. We refuse to stand idly by while patients are blocked from accessing birth control, vasectomies, comprehensive sexual health education, and more basic and legally protected healthcare services.
Even as the Trump administration tries to block people from accessing the health care they need, it cannot deter us from our mission. Our patients and communities are relying on us, and we will continue to show up for them with strength, courage, and dignity. Our compassion will always exceed their cruelty.
This fight is not over, but we have difficult days ahead of us. If you're angry, heartbroken, believe in health care access for all, or have ever been to a Planned Parenthood for care, please channel that energy into action. We need everyone in our community to stand with us and help us fight back, because we will not stop fighting for our patients. With your support, we're not going anywhere, and neither is our care.
Krista Hollinger is the President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Orange and San Bernardino Counties. Previously, she held leadership positions at UCI Health and St. Jude Heritage Health Care. She is a resident of Anaheim.
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