Health
Planned Parenthood Pledges to Keep Providing Care Despite Potential Funding Cuts. Illinois Advocates React
Planned Parenthood of Illinois is saying it plans to keep providing reproductive care despite potential funding cuts.
Congress on Thursday passed President Donald Trump’s so-called “Big, Beautiful Bill,” which the president is expected to sign into law. The tax and spending plan cuts federal funding for services such as food aid and Medicaid, as well as Planned Parenthood.
This comes just after the U.S. Supreme Court allowed states to cut Medicaid funding for the organization in a ruling last week. The decision means that individuals can’t use their Medicaid coverage to get Planned Parenthood services. Medicaid patients can’t sue a state to enforce their right to pick a medical provider — specifically Planned Parenthood.
Sarah Garza Resnick, president and CEO of Chicago-based pro-choice advocacy group Personal PAC, said both the judicial decision and Trump’s spending bill will cut access to reproductive care for Medicaid patients, providing them few alternatives.
“Millions of Americans are now going to be stripped of health care, including half a million Illinoisans,” Resnick said. “It is mind-boggling that the Republican Party did not recognize how broken our health care system is. Instead of rolling up their sleeves, and trying to make it more affordable and trying to improve our quality of care, they just decided to steal it from us.”
Conservative advocacy groups like Aurora-based Pro-Life Action League argue that organizations like Planned Parenthood shouldn’t get taxpayer funds because they provide abortions. Matt Yonke, the Pro-Life Action League’s chief operating officer, said people shouldn’t have to pay taxes to fund organizations they disagree with.
“Taking our shared tax dollars that we all put into the pool for our shared goals and using those for one of the most divisive procedures in all of medical care that many, many millions of Americans are deeply, deeply opposed to — that’s an obvious problem,” Yonke said.
In a statement Thursday, Planned Parenthood of Illinois said it will keep providing all types of sexual health and reproductive services that the organization says patients can’t go without.
“We refuse to stop providing care to our patients even though it’s clear the Republicans in Congress are trying to force us to do so,” Tonya Tucker, interim president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Illinois, said in a statement. “Over 40% of PPIL patients use Medicaid to cover the cost of their health care and we will not allow people to forgo essential health care!”
Yonke said he wants to see funding moved away from organizations like Planned Parenthood and invested in other providers that don’t provide abortions.
“Women aren’t going to Planned Parenthood for the most common things they need,” Yonke said. “There are health care providers for cold and flu, back pains, pediatric care — you’re not going to get any help for any of those conditions at Planned Parenthood. I want to see those dollars going to providers, and there are thousands of federally qualified health cares around this country.”
