The New York Times reports on another Trump administration move against Planned Parenthood, this time the signing of that measure that Mike Pence voted on last month, which the paper calls “a move cheered by conservatives who have clamored to impose curbs on reproductive rights.”
The measure nullifies a rule completed in the last days of the Obama administration that effectively barred state and local governments from withholding federal funding for family planning services related to contraception, sexually transmitted infections, fertility, pregnancy care, and breast and cervical cancer screening from qualified health providers — regardless of whether they also performed abortions. The new measure cleared Congress last month with Vice President Mike Pence casting the tiebreaking vote in the Senate.
Notably, the bill was signed in private, with no fanfare. As NARAL’s statement noted, “President Trump’s decision to take this action behind closed doors shows he knows how wildly unpopular his actions are… If you have to hide what you’re doing, then you probably shouldn’t be doing it in the first place.”
We agree.
