Page 6 - ARUBA TODAY

A6 U.S. NEWS
Friday 23 august 2019

Money crunch after Planned Parenthood quits federal program

By LINDSAY WHITEHURST control, lifesaving cancer
and DAVID CRARY screenings ... you name it,
Associated Press they have treated me for
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — it.”
Planned Parenthood clinics Planned Parenthood said
in several states are charg- it’s dedicated to maintain-
ing new fees, tapping fi- ing its current services in
nancial reserves, intensify- Utah, but CEO Karrie Gal-
ing fundraising and warn- loway acknowledged it
ing of more unintended won’t be easy and could
pregnancies and sexually cause some “pain on all
transmitted diseases after sides.”
its decision to quit a $260 She said the organization
million federal family plan- plans to lean heavily on
ning program in an abor- donors to make up the
tion dispute with the Trump funding gap while staff
administration. members assess how they’ll
The fallout is especially cope. Among the possibili-
intense in Utah, where ties are instituting copays of
Planned Parenthood has $10-$15 per visit, shortening
been the only provider hours and trimming spend-
participating in the nearly ing. She doesn’t plan to lay
50-year-old Title X family off staff, but said she may
planning program and will Associated Press not be able to fill jobs when
now lose about $2 million Minnesota is in a similar situ- by this denial of care,” said participating clinics from people leave or retire.
yearly in federal funds that ation, serving about 90% of Sarah Stoesz, the Minne- referring women for abor- Minnesota is planning fees
helped 39,000 mostly low- the state’s Title X patients, sota-based president of tions. as well.
income, uninsured people. and plans to start charging Planned Parenthood North Anti-abortion activists who “We’ll continue to offer all
It plans to maintain its ser- fees due to the loss of $2.6 Central States. form a key part of President services, and keep clinic
vices — which include con- million in annual funding. “It’s a very sad day for the Donald Trump’s base have doors open, but we’ll be
traception, STD testing and The organization is con- country.” been campaigning to charging patients on a slid-
cancer screening — but cerned about the spread Planned Parenthood and “defund Planned Parent- ing scale who we didn’t
is considering charging a of unintended pregnancies several other providers hood.” Among its varied charge before,” Stoesz
small copay for patients and sexually transmitted withdrew from the program services it is a major abor- said. “Vulnerable people
who used to get care for diseases. earlier this week rather than tion provider, and the ac- who previously were able
free. “We believe there will be a comply with a newly imple- tivists viewed the grants as to access birth control and
Planned Parenthood in public health crisis created mented rule prohibiting an indirect subsidy. STD testing for free will no
About 4 million women longer be able to do so.”
are served nationwide by Elsewhere, the impact of
the Title X program, which Planned Parenthood’s
makes up a much bigger withdrawal will vary from
portion of Planned Parent- state to state.
hood’s patients than abor- In the Deep South there will
tion. But the organization be little impact because
said it could not abide by Planned Parenthood did
the abortion-referral rules not provide Title X servic-
because it says they would es in most of the region’s
make it impossible for doc- states. Governments in
tors to do their jobs. some Democratic-con-
Misty Dotson, a single trolled states, including Ha-
mother in Utah, started go- waii, Illinois, New York and
ing to Planned Parenthood Vermont, say they will try
as doctors’ bills for treating to replace at least some of
recurring yeast infections the lost federal funding.
mounted. The services be- In Washington state, Dem-
came even more impor- ocratic Gov. Jay Inslee
tant when she gave up — fresh from quitting the
her employer-sponsored presidential campaign —
health insurance because vowed to join that group
she couldn’t afford the of states. His administration
$500 monthly bill. is pulling Washington out of
She is unsure what she’d do Title X because of the new
if the family planning ser- rule and will ask the Legis-
vices she gets stop. lature to make up for the
“It would put me in a very $4 million in federal funding
dangerous position,” said that will be lost.
Dotson, who works as an “We will not comply with
executive assistant for an their dangerous, uncon-
accounting and consult- stitutional, illegal rules,” In-
ing firm. “It covers so many slee said Thursday. “We will
things: STD testing, emer- make sure this health care
gency contraception, birth continues.”q