President Trump signed into law a bill that allows states to withhold federal funds from Planned Parenthood and other groups that provide abortion services, CNN reports. Congress passed the bill a few weeks ago, with Vice President Pence casting a tie-breaking vote. Trump signed it privately, with no fanfare—an unusual move for him.
Specifically, the bill reverses legislation from the Obama presidency that prohibits states from withholding federal money from facilities that perform abortions.
Federal law already prohibits taxpayer dollars from going toward abortions, and Planned Parenthood says that abortions make up only 3 percent of its services. The vast majority of its services include women’s health services, birth control, pregnancy tests and preventive health—including HIV testing and prevention such as Truvada as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).
As governor of Indiana, Pence helped defund Planned Parenthood in that state, a move that advocates tied to a local HIV and hepatitis outbreak.
To read more about the HIV services at Planned Parenthood, read the POZ cover story “Sexual Health Care for All.” And for more related articles in POZ, click #Planned Parenthood.
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