House Bill Would Bar Planned Parenthood From Title X Family Planning Program

January 7, 2013 — House Republicans on Friday introduced a bill (HR 61) that would prohibit organizations that provide abortions from receiving funding through the federal Title X family planning program, The Hill's "Healthwatch" reports. Title X, signed into law under President Nixon, provides low-income women with birth control, cancer screenings and other preventive care, but not abortions.

The new bill, titled the Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act, has at least two dozen Republican co-sponsors and mirrors legislation House conservatives advanced last year. Several states also have taken steps to block family planning funds from going to Planned Parenthood, resulting in court battles.

Planned Parenthood Action Fund President Cecile Richards said in a statement, "One in five women in the United States has turned to Planned Parenthood for healthcare at some point in her life, and Americans recognize the crucial role that our preventive healthcare services play in keeping women healthy. Planned Parenthood is good for women's health and good for the economy" (Viebeck, "Healthwatch," The Hill, 1/4).