Wonkette: Trump Family Planning Strategy Will Have All Your 16-Year-Olds Pragnet IN NO TIME!
The Trump administration has taken another great big step into the 1950s, with a strategy for issuing family planning grants that favors abstinence and the freaking rhythm method over contraception, as part of a strategy to prevent federal dollars from going to Planned Parenthood, even without a formal ban on funding for the group. Isn’t that clever?
On Friday, the Department of Health and Human Services announced new guidelines for the issuance of grants under Title X, which used to fund family planning, but now will apparently do whatever it can to increase Americans’ chances of having a blessed event whether they want one or not.
The new HHS document makes repeated favorable mention of “natural family planning” — which encompasses the rhythm method and other strategies for avoiding pregnancy without using contraceptives like the birth-control pill. According to HHS, of 100 couples each year that use natural family planning methods, up to 25 women may become pregnant.
Those are pretty good odds! Of not really preventing pregnancy much at all. Planned Parenthood seems to have this crazy idea that the administration is trying to divert money away from parenthood that might be planned. Currently, about 1.6 million of the 4 million beneficiaries of Title X get services at Planned Parenthood, so obviously “less than half” is far too many.
The move is yet another attempt to punish Planned Parenthood for providing abortions, although federal payment for abortion services is already prohibited. Last year, Donald Trump signed a bill to roll back an Obama administration rule that had prevented states from excluding Planned Parenthood from getting Title X funds. Several states, like Arizona, have since done exactly that, because it’s better for women to not get health services at all than to get them from evil groups.
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