WASHINGTON—As the Biden Administration looks to reverse a rule that prevents Title X funds from going to abortion providers, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), a mom and staunch advocate for life, is putting forward legislation that would prevent any taxpayer dollars from going to the nation’s single largest provider of abortions, Planned Parenthood. Ernst also joined her colleagues in urging Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Xavier Becerra and the White House to reverse the rule. “We must always fight to protect the most vulnerable of our society, the unborn. Sadly, President Biden is working to reverse a rule from the previous administration that prevented taxpayer money from going toward abortion providers. Iowans should not be forced to fund organizations like Planned Parenthood, the nation’s single largest provider of abortions, and this legislation will help put an end to this practice and redirect those funds to eligible women’s health care providers,” said Senator Ernst.
Background:
The Protect Funding for Women’s Health Care Act prohibits taxpayer dollars from going to Planned Parenthood. Instead, the bill redirects those funds to other eligible women’s health care providers while ensuring there is no reduction in federal funding for women’s health services. Specifically, the Protect Funding for Women’s Health Care Act:
- Prohibits federal funding of Planned Parenthood Federation of America or any of its affiliate organizations;
- Forbids Planned Parenthood from being eligible for any federal dollars, including through mandatory expenditures or unobligated funding of individual agencies;
- Protects federal funding for health services for women, including diagnostic laboratory and radiology services, well-child care, prenatal and postnatal care, immunizations, cervical and breast cancer screenings and more; and,
- Ensures there is no reduction in overall federal funding available to support women’s health.
To read the full letter to HHS Secretary Becerra, click here. After learning last year that Planned Parenthood received loans through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), Ernst called for a full investigation and pressed the Small Business Administrator on her work to get to the bottom of this. Earlier this year, Ernst urged the Small Business Administration (SBA) to take action to ensure Planned Parenthood affiliates do not receive second-draw loans.
