Highlights:
- While campaigning for president, Donald Trump repeatedly voiced support for defunding Planned Parenthood.
- In 2017, Donald Trump pushed Congress to repeal the Affordable Care Act via legislation which included defunding Planned Parenthood.
- Trump celebrated the House’s passage of ACA repeal legislation which cut Planned Parenthood.
- Donald Trump nominated judges responsible for decisions that could limit abortion access.
- Trump appointed an anti-abortion judge Matthew Kacsmaryk who will preside over a $1.8 billion in Texas which alleged Planned Parenthood and its state affiliates committed Medicaid fraud. Kacsmaryk was pushed by conservatives in an effort to have their legal battles ruled in their favor. Kacsmaryk already ruled favorably for anti-abortion groups and anti-LGBTQ groups in several rulings.
- Trump reshaped the federal judiciary with anti-abortion rights extremists.
- Donald Trump implemented the Title X gag rule, preventing Title X family planning aid recipients from performing abortions or providing referrals.
- This policy slashed Title X family planning capacities by half, leaving some communities without a federally funded family planning resource.
¶ On The Campaign Trail, Trump Threatened To Defund Planned Parenthood
¶ During The 2016 Campaign, Trump VOice His Opposition To Federal Funding For Planned Parenthood
2015: Trump: Planned Parenthood “Should Be Defunded.” According to the Blaze, “LOESCH: What are your thoughts on this? Should [Planned Parenthood] be defunded, first off? TRUMP: Well, they should and I was looking at some of those things and the way that woman is eating her salad. I guess that’s the one you’re talking about, right? LOESCH: There’s two of them now. TRUMP: She keeps eating her salad and just – and now there’s another one, I see that. It’s disgusting. It’s disgusting and absolutely they should be defunded.” [Blaze, 7/21/15]
2015: Trump On Planned Parenthood: “That Should Not Be Funded By The Government, And I Feel Strongly About That.” According to CNN, “TRUMP: Well, the biggest problem I have with Planned Parenthood is the abortion situation. I mean it’s like an abortion factory, frankly. And you can’t have it. And you just shouldn’t be funding it. That should not be funded by the government, and I feel strongly about that.” [CNN, 8/11/15]
¶ Trump Said Planned Parenthood Should Be Defunded For Providing Abortion Care
2015: Trump On Planned Parenthood: “You Should Defund Anyway Because They Are Doing Abortions.” According to the Laura Ingraham Show, “INGRAHAM: Do you still believe there are two Planned Parenthoods or is it time to defund this organization? TRUMP: Well, you should defund anyway because they are doing the abortions. It is like an abortion factory, which is terrible. So, you should defund anyway.” [Laura Ingraham, 8/26/15]
¶ Trump Threatened To Defund Planned Parenthood As President
2016: Trump On Planned Parenthood: “I Would Defund It.” According to the Houston GOP Primary Debate, TRUMP: As far as Planned Parenthood is concerned, I'm pro-life. I'm totally against abortion, having to do with Planned Parenthood. […] But I would defund it, because I'm pro-life." [Houston GOP Primary Debate, 2/25/16]
2015: Trump Answered “Yes” When Asked If He Would Defund Planned Parenthood. According to a town hall in New Hampshire, “QUESTIONER: Will you try to defund [Planned Parenthood] and repeal Roe v. Wade? TRUMP: Well, the answer is yes, defund. The other, you’d need a lot of Supreme Court justices, but we’re going to be looking at that also very, very carefully, but you need a lot of Supreme Court judges, but defund, yes, we’re going to be doing that.” [Waterville Valley, NH, Town Hall, 12/1/15]
2016: Trump: “I Would Defund Planned Parenthood.” According to the Brody File, “BRODY: As a President Trump, if a bill came to your desk that would defund Planned Parenthood, you would support that, you would sign that? TRUMP: Yes, because as long as they do the abortion I am not for funding Planned Parenthood. […] I would defund Planned Parenthood because of their view and the fact that they work on abortion." [Brody File, 2/18/16]
¶ Trump Said He Would Support A Government ShutDown Over Planned Parenthood
2015: Trump Said He Would Have Supported Shutting Down The Government To Defund Planned Parenthood. According to the Hugh Hewitt Show, “HEWITT: The only way to get rid of Planned Parenthood money for selling off baby parts is to shut the government down in September. Would you support that? TRUMP: Well, I can tell you this, I would.” [Hugh Hewitt Show, 8/3/15]
¶ In 2017, Trump Pushed Congress To Immediately Repeal The Affordable Care Act Which Included Defunding Planned Parenthood
¶ 2017: Trump Pushed Congress To Immediately Repeal The Affordable Care Act
January 2017: Trump Demanded Congress Immediately Repeal The Affordable Care Act. According to the New York Times, “President-elect Donald J. Trump demanded on Tuesday that Congress immediately repeal the Affordable Care Act and pass another health law quickly. His remarks put Republicans in the nearly impossible position of having only weeks to replace a health law that took nearly two years to pass. ‘We have to get to business,’ Mr. Trump told The New York Times in a telephone interview. ‘Obamacare has been a catastrophic event.’ Mr. Trump appeared to be unclear both about the timing of already scheduled votes in Congress and about the difficulty of his demand — a repeal vote ‘probably some time next week’ and a replacement ‘very quickly or simultaneously, very shortly thereafter.’ But he was clear on one point: Plans by congressional Republicans to repeal the health law now, then take years to create and implement a replacement law are unacceptable to the incoming president.” [New York Times, 1/10/17]
¶ May 2017: Trump Celebrated The House Passing its ACA Repeal Legislation, Which Included Defunding Planned Parenthood For A Year
Trump Celebrated The House For Passing Legislation Repealing The Affordable Care Act. According to CNBC, “A beaming President Donald Trump reveled Thursday in the passage of an Obamacare replacement bill in the House, which he predicted will bring down premiums and deductibles, and set the stage for the biggest tax cut in U.S. history. ‘It’s going to be unbelievable,’ said Trump, standing in the Rose Garden at the White House, with scores of House Republicans standing behind him less than two hours after the vote.” [CNBC, 5/4/17]
¶ The House’s Legislation Included Cutting Off Federal Funding To Planned Parenthood For A Year
The House’s Bill Cut Off Federal Funding For Planned Parenthood For A Year. According to the New York Times, “The House on Thursday narrowly approved legislation to repeal and replace major parts of the Affordable Care Act, as Republicans recovered from their earlier failures and moved a step closer to delivering on their promise to reshape American health care without mandated insurance coverage. […] The bill would also repeal taxes imposed by the Affordable Care Act on high-income people, insurers and drug companies, among others. And it would cut off federal funds from Planned Parenthood for one year.” [New York Times, 5/4/17]
¶ Trump Nominated Hyper-Partisan Judges That Were Responsible For Legal Decisions That Could Limit Abortion Access
¶ Trump Appointed An Anti-Abortion Texas Judge Who Presided Over Texas’ Legal Battle To Bankrupt Planned Parenthood From The State
¶ Trump Nominated Matthew J. Kacsmaryk To Be The U.S. District Judge For Northern District Of Texas
Trump Nominated Kacsmaryk To Be U.S. District Judge For The Northern District Of Texas. According to the Dallas Morning News, “President Trump on Friday renominated 21 judicial picks opposed by Democrats, including a Texan whose critics view him as an extremist because of his stance against same-sex marriage. Trump nominated Matthew Kacsmaryk on Sept. 7 for a vacancy in the Northern District of Texas, but Democrats successfully stalled his selection by keeping him off the Senate's unanimous consent list.” [Dallas Morning News, 1/5/18]
June 2019: The Senate Confirmed Kacsmaryk. [United States Senate, Roll Call Vote 172, 6/19/19]
¶ Kacsmaryk’s Nomination Was Part Of A Conservative “Judge Shopping” Effort Were Conservatives Bring Their Cases To Kacsmaryk’s Court In Order To Ensure A Desired Outcome
Conservatives Pushed To Nominate Kacsmaryk To Be A Judge In Order To Oversee Their Cases In North Texas Courts. According to the New Republic, “Groomed by the Christian right, Kacsmaryk was appointed by President Donald Trump and began serving as a federal judge in the Northern District of Texas in 2019. Because he is the only judge serving this court, any case brought there will inevitably end up before him, which the right uses to its advantage.” [New Republic, 10/25/23]
Kacsmaryk Was Part Of A “Judge Shopping” Effort Where Conservatives Purposely Bring Their Cases To His Court To Ensure A Desired Outcome. According to the New Republic, “It’s called judge-shopping, and Kacsmaryk is one of the most prominent examples of it in the country: Conservatives bring their cases to his court to ensure their desired outcome. From his courtroom in Amarillo, Kacsmaryk wields disproportionate power over sexual and reproductive freedom in particular. He has sided with a Christian right group that says the abortion pill mifepristone harms doctors, and has invoked the anti-LGBTQ group Gays Against Groomers in a ruling favoring a Texas university president who banned drag on campus.” [New Republic, 10/25/23]
Since Kacsmaryk Was The Only Judge Serving The U.S. District Court Of Northern Texas, He Would Preside Over Any Case Brought Before Him. According to the New Republic, “Groomed by the Christian right, Kacsmaryk was appointed by President Donald Trump and began serving as a federal judge in the Northern District of Texas in 2019. Because he is the only judge serving this court, any case brought there will inevitably end up before him, which the right uses to its advantage.” [New Republic, 10/25/23]
¶ Kacsmaryk Had A History Of Siding With Anti-Abortion And Anti-LGBTQ Groups
Kacsmaryk Sided With A Christian Right Group Which Argued That The Abortion Pill Mifepristone Harmed Doctors. According to the New Republic, “From his courtroom in Amarillo, Kacsmaryk wields disproportionate power over sexual and reproductive freedom in particular. He has sided with a Christian right group that says the abortion pill mifepristone harms doctors, and has invoked the anti-LGBTQ group Gays Against Groomers in a ruling favoring a Texas university president who banned drag on campus.” [New Republic, 10/25/23]
Kacsmaryk Invoked The Anti-LGBTQ Group Gays Against Groomers In A Ruling In-Favor Of A Texas University President Who Banned Drag On Campus. According to the New Republic, “From his courtroom in Amarillo, Kacsmaryk wields disproportionate power over sexual and reproductive freedom in particular. He has sided with a Christian right group that says the abortion pill mifepristone harms doctors, and has invoked the anti-LGBTQ group Gays Against Groomers in a ruling favoring a Texas university president who banned drag on campus.” [New Republic, 10/25/23]
¶ Kacsmaryk Ruled In Favor Of An Anonymous Anti-Abortion Activist Who Sued Planned Parenthood And Its Texas Affiliates To Try To Collect $1.8 Billion
Kacsmaryk Ruled In Favor Of An Anonymous Anti-Abortion Activist Who Sued Planned Parenthood And Its Texas Affiliates. According to the New Republic, “A decade-long campaign by Texas Republicans to punish Planned Parenthood and run it out of the state advanced this week, thanks to one of the most anti-abortion judges in the United States. U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk on Monday ruled in favor of an anonymous anti-abortion activist who has sued Planned Parenthood and its Texas affiliates on dubious grounds, ordering a jury trial that may allow the activist to collect $1.8 billion in judgment from the organization—imperiling its very existence in the state.” [New Republic, 10/25/23]
The Lawsuit Would Allow The Anti-Abortion Activist To Collect $1.8 Billion From Planned Parenthood. According to the New Republic, “U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk on Monday ruled in favor of an anonymous anti-abortion activist who has sued Planned Parenthood and its Texas affiliates on dubious grounds, ordering a jury trial that may allow the activist to collect $1.8 billion in judgment from the organization—imperiling its very existence in the state.” [New Republic, 10/25/23]
¶ The Lawsuit Accused Three Texas-Based Planned Parenthood’s Of Medicaid Fraud Over Reimbursement Of Care
The Lawsuit Accused Three Texas-Based Planned Parenthood’s Of Medicaid Fraud Over Reimbursement Of Care. According to the New Republic, “The lawsuit against Planned Parenthood that is now before Kacsmaryk concerns the claims of an anonymous ‘Alex Doe’ plaintiff, joined by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (who just last month survived an impeachment trial in the Texas state Senate over alleged corruption and bribery). Their suit accuses three Texas-based Planned Parenthood affiliates of Medicaid fraud over reimbursements for care. Doe doesn’t claim that Planned Parenthood failed to provide care, such as birth control, STI testing, and hormone replacement therapy, in exchange for those reimbursements; across its Texas clinics, Planned Parenthood says that more than 100,000 Texans rely on it for care. Rather, it claims that Planned Parenthood should return the reimbursements, with penalties, because it received them after the state took legal action to exclude Planned Parenthood from Texas Medicaid.” [New Republic, 10/25/23]
The Suit Claimed That Planned Parenthood Should Return The Reimbursements With Penalties Because It Received Them After The State Took Legal Action To Exclude Planned Parenthood From The State’s Medicaid. According to the New Republic, “Rather, it claims that Planned Parenthood should return the reimbursements, with penalties, because it received them after the state took legal action to exclude Planned Parenthood from Texas Medicaid.” [New Republic, 10/25/23]
- Planned Parenthood Was Not Yet Excluded From The State’s Medicaid Plan At The Time It Received Those Reimbursements. According to the New Republic, “However, Planned Parenthood had not yet actually been excluded at the time it received those reimbursements.” [New Republic, 10/25/23]
¶ Trump Implemented The Title X Gag Rule, Which Put Federally Funded Family Planning Programs Funding At Risk Unless They Stopped Providing Information On Abortion
¶ The Trump Administration Implemented A Title X Gag Rule
July 16, 2019: The Trump Administration Began Enforcing The Title X “Gag Rule.” According to Politico, “The Trump administration's decision to immediately bar family planning funds to groups, like Planned Parenthood, that perform or refer women for abortion could force some states and organizations to abandon the federal program that pays for contraception for low-income women. The administration said it will move forward with its new family planning overhaul, which critics deride as an abortion ‘gag rule,’ as it faces ongoing legal challenges from nearly two dozen states and organizations, including Planned Parenthood, the largest single recipient of funding in the program, known as Title X.” [Politico, 7/16/19]
¶ Title X Functioned As The Nation’s Public Family Planning Program
Title X Was The Nation’s Public Family Planning Program That Provided Birth Control Services, STI Testing, And Treatment. According to the Guttmacher Institute, “Title X is the nation’s public family planning program, serving millions of patients who seek birth control services, STI testing and treatment, and related preventive care. The program was established as part of the Public Health Service Act in 1970 with the express intent of addressing inequities in access to contraceptives and related services, helping patients advance their right to exercise power over their own reproductive decisions. For half a century, Title X has funded a long-standing and trusted network of providers throughout the country, providing these critical services to patients who are low income, uninsured, young or otherwise underserved.” [Guttmacher, 2/5/20]
¶ The Gag Rule Stated That Title X Grant Funding Could Not Go To Providers That Discuss Abortion With Patients - Even If Those Patients Asked
The Rule Stated That Title X Grant Funding Could Not Go To Providers That Discuss Abortion With Patients. According to Planned Parenthood Action, “The gag rule says Title X grants can’t go to clinicians who tell their patients how they can safely and legally access abortion (even if patients ask and even if a pregnancy threatens their health). The gag rule also takes grants away from health centers that separately provide abortion — like Planned Parenthood.” [Planned Parenthood Action, Accessed 3/19/20]
Clinics Were Barred From Referring Patients To An Abortion Provider But Required To Refer Them For Prenatal Care, Regardless Of A Patient’s Wishes. According to Politico, “Clinics will now be barred from referring patients to an abortion provider but required to refer them for prenatal care, regardless of a patient's wishes. Clinics have always been banned from using Title X money for abortions, but the Trump administration argued greater separation was needed to prevent the intermingling of funds. Now, numerous state health agencies administering Title X funds, including some that are their state's lone recipient of program dollars, must decide whether to go forward with previous suggestions that they'd withdraw from Title X if the Trump rules took effect. Millions of dollars are on the line.” [Politico, 7/16/19]
¶ Under The New Rules, Faith-Based Groups Were Eligible For Federal Funding
However, Under The Rules Faith-Based Groups That Oppose Abortion And Hormonal Birth Control Were Eligible For Federal Funding. According to Politico, “Faith-based groups that oppose abortion and hormonal birth control are also now eligible for funding under the rules. Earlier this year, the religiously affiliated clinic network Obria was awarded a three-year, $5.1 million grant in California. Although the group will only offer ‘natural’ family planning counseling such as abstinence and the rhythm method, it still must subcontract with clinics that provide other forms of contraception.” [Politico, 7/16/19]
¶ Trump’s Title X Gag Rule Left Communities With A Massive Federally Funded Family Planning Provider Gap
Planned Parenthood, Which Served More Than 40% Of U.S. Title X Patients, Chose To Reject Funding Due To Restrictions, Leaving Large Parts Of The Country Without A Federally Funded Family Planning Provider. According to Politico, “Planned Parenthood, which serves more than 40 percent of the nation's Title X patients, confirmed Monday night it won't comply with the new rules. The group said Its clinics will start using their own emergency funds while it continues to fight the administration in court. Planned Parenthood, which still gets significant funding from Medicaid, has long been the only Title X funding recipient in Utah, and it covers a large portion of the population in several other states. Its exit from the program could leave parts of the country without a federally funded family planning provider.” [Politico, 7/16/19]
¶ Without Planned Parenthood Clinics Supported By Title X, Other Title X Supported Sites Would Need To Increase Capabilities
Without Planned Parenthood Clinics Supported By Title X, Other Types Of Title X-Supported Sites Would Have Had to Increase Their Contraceptive Client Caseloads By 70%. According to Guttmacher, “Without Planned Parenthood clinics supported by Title X, other types of Title X–supported sites would need to increase their contraceptive client caseloads by an average of 70%. This poses massive challenges for the rest of the safety-net family planning provider network.” [Guttmacher, 8/29/19]
Other Title X Sites Were Not Readily Able To Replace Title X – Funded Planned Parenthood Health Centers.
[Guttmacher, 8/29/19]
¶ The Trump Administration’s Domestic Gag Rule Slashed The Title X Network’s Capacity By Nearly 50%
Guttmacher Institute: Trump’s Domestic “Gag Rule” Slashed The Title X National Family Planning Network’s Patient Capacity Nearly In Half, Impacting 1.6 Million Female Patients Nationwide. According to Guttmacher, “New data from the Guttmacher Institute show that the Trump administration’s domestic ‘gag rule’ has slashed the Title X national family planning network’s patient capacity in half, jeopardizing care for 1.6 million female patients nationwide […] Based on data available for 910 of those 981 sites, we estimate that these changes reduced the network’s capacity to provide women with contraceptive services by at least 46%, translating to roughly 1.6 million patients. In other words, the impact of the gag rule on the network’s capacity is much greater than it might appear when looking at clinic numbers alone, because the gag rule intentionally targeted clinics specializing in reproductive health care services, sites that also serve the highest volume of contraceptive patients.” [Guttmacher, 2/5/20]
Trump’s Domestic Gag Rule Reduced The Title X Network’s Capacity By Nearly Half Nationwide And By Much More In Many States.
[Guttmacher, 2/5/20]