Planned Parenthood funding remains intact, attacks continue

Planned Parenthood Federation of America has survived the latest attempt to cut its federal funding, but the organization isn’t out of the woods yet.

On Sept. 30, the leadership of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and its Subcommittee on Health sent letters to Planned Parenthood Federation of America and seven of its affiliates, which supposedly conduct abortions and have fetal tissue donations programs, seeking information on their procedures and any independent audits that might have been conducted.

The letters went out as a majority of the House passed a bill to place a 1-year moratorium on funding for Planned Parenthood unless the organization certified that it would not perform abortions, with the exception of cases of rape or incest, or when the mother’s health is in danger. But the measure – which was separate from the must-pass continuing budget resolution – requires approval in the Senate, a prospect that seems unlikely since similar bills have failed in the Senate this year.

^{Alicia Ault/Frontline Medical News}

In the meantime, some Republican lawmakers are seeking to strip Planned Parenthood funds from the budget later this year through a procedure known as reconciliation. The House Energy and Commerce Committee took the first steps, sending a set of reconciliation instructions to the House Budget Committee calling for a prohibition on federal funding for organizations that primarily provide family planning services, but also offer abortions beyond cases involving rape or incest, or when there is a health risk to the mother.

While the instructions used broad language, Rep. Joe Barton (R-Tex.), chairman emeritus of the committee, acknowledged that the instructions would reprogram federal money to “other organizations that don’t conduct the practices that Planned Parenthood does.”

Democrats on the committee objected to the bill’s potential to cut women off from health services.

“Your intention is to terminate Planned Parenthood and any other provider that offers women access to comprehensive health care, including their right to an abortion,” said Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., (D-N.J.), ranking member of the committee. “There are not enough providers at community health centers with not enough hours in the day to add more than 4 million new patients, money or no money.”

All of this activity comes as members of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee questioned Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, about how the organization spends federal dollars.

“The question before us is does this organization, does Planned Parenthood, really need federal subsidy?” Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), the committee chairman, said during the Sept. 29 hearing.

The committee released a memo detailing Planned Parenthood’s expenses and describing the organization as “self-sustaining” and not in need of federal funding. For instance, the memo notes that the organization reported $1.3 billion in revenue in 2014, 41% of which came from the government.

In addition, committee Republicans criticized the salaries of Ms. Richards and others at Planned Parenthood affiliates, noting that between 2009 and 2013, more than 40 people made more than $200,000 a year. “That’s money that isn’t going to women’s health care,” Rep. Chaffetz said.

When asked directly if Planned Parenthood could continue to operate without any federal money, Ms. Richards said that “we don’t make any profit off federal money,” but she was interrupted before she could clarify her remarks.

gtwachtman@frontlinemedcom.com