With the Stroke of His Pen, Trump Just Ended Obama’s Pro-Planned Parenthood Rule

On Thursday, President Trump signed legislation that reversed an Obama-era rule that forbid states from being able to withhold any federal funding from clinics that provide abortions services, including Planned Parenthood.

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The rule required that “state and local governments distribute federal Title X funding for services related to contraception, fertility, pregnancy care and cervical cancer screenings to health providers, regardless of whether they perform abortions.”

H.J. Res. 43 was signed just two weeks after the Senate approved the legislation with a 51-50 vote that required Vice President Mike Pence to cast the tie-breaking vote.

Thanks to Trump’s move, states are now legally allowed to block funding that would normally go to facilities like Planned Parenthood that perform abortions.

Following the signing of the legislation, Seema Verma, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator, said Trump’s signature “shows he is keeping his campaign promises.”

“It’s an important step for the administration that shows they want states to be in charge of the decision making,” Verma told reporters.

Penny Nance, the CEO of Concerned Women for America, agreed that this is a states rights issue.

“We have been clear we want to shift funding from Planned Parenthood to community health centers,” Nance said.

Trump made defunding Planned Parenthood one of his most used talking points on the campaign trail. It is nice to see that he is honoring this one.

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