A Trump administration rule update that restricts funding to organizations offering abortions went into effect last week, stripping Planned Parenthood of Vermont of a stream of federal funding that supports access to reproductive health care.
The organization is vowing to continue offering its services despite the funding cut while it combats the rule on a national scale.
The Trump administration’s update affects Title X, a federal program that funds birth control and reproductive health services for low-income Americans. Title X has never paid for abortions, but it does help consumers access screenings, contraception and STD treatment.
The rule stipulates that Title X funding can no longer go to organizations that provide or refer patients for abortions. It also contains physical distance regulations, requiring organizations to be both physically and financially separate from those who offer certain kinds of care.
The rule has been a work in progress for over a year. It was first proposed in 2018 and was scheduled to take effect in May 2019 until, amid nationwide pushback, a legal challenge sent the rule to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. On July 3, the court issued a preliminary injunction blocking the rule while discussions continued.
Lucy Leriche, the Vermont Planned Parenthood vice president of public policy, called the process an “up and down roller coaster.” But on Thursday, the appeals court ruled that the Title X update will be enforced — stripping Vermont’s Planned Parenthood of its federal funding.
Planned Parenthood currently serves 10,000 Vermonters at 12 different locations each year.
According to Leriche, the “biggest reason” behind Planned Parenthood’s split from Title X is the new rule’s bar on mentioning abortion as an option for patients.
“It’s very damaging to the patient-provider relationship when patients feel like their health care providers are withholding information from them, and maybe even making them feel like they should be ashamed because they’re seeking an abortion,” Leriche said.
Leriche added that, for now, Planned Parenthood is operating under a “contingency plan” set up when the rule was first announced. In the future, the organization may struggle to maintain its sliding fee scale — but Leriche emphasized that Vermont’s Planned Parenthood is committed to providing care regardless of federal rollbacks.
“We do not want our patients to feel threatened or alarmed right now,” Leriche said. “We just want to make sure that patients know that they can continue coming to us, and they will continue receiving high-quality health care. Our goal is to make this completely seamless.”
The Vermont Department of Health, which distributes the funding from Title X, said it is “in the process of discussing our next steps” in light of the Thursday decision. The department receives the same amount of money regardless, but until last week, all of its Title X funds went to Planned Parenthood.
A spokesperson said the department does not support the rule.
“For decades, the Title X family planning program in Vermont has supported a network of health care providers that have ensured access to contraception, cancer screenings, STD testing and treatment, and other preventive services,” the spokesperson wrote in an email. “The medical community in Vermont and nationally has come out in strong opposition.”
Opponents of abortion have argued that other organizations in Vermont besides Planned Parenthood could effectively use the Title X funding.
In addition to the in-state response, Leriche said Planned Parenthood is working with the state to fight the rule nationwide. Planned Parenthood has long collaborated with Attorney General TJ Donovan, who joined a lawsuit over Title X funding in March; it also advocates for an ameliorative provision that passed in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The nationwide rollbacks come just as Vermont implements some of the strongest reproductive protections in the nation. In June, Scott signed an abortion bill that contains no restrictions on women’s rights to access reproductive care. Vermont legislators framed the bill as a response to federal changes.
But Vermont laws do not impact federal funding for Planned Parenthood — and according to Leriche, the new rule is a serious blow for accessible health care.
“It’s ridiculous. It’s unreasonable. And it’s a hostile kind of provision that is clearly intended to choke us out of the program,” Leriche said.