March 7 In a statement to the New York Times yesterday, Donald Trump threatened to cut off all federal funds for Planned Parenthood unless it stops providing abortions. Trump’s vicious and cruel extortion would jeopardize the wellbeing – the health, lives and futures – of millions of women. Planned Parenthood provides many vital services for women, especially women who otherwise couldn’t afford or have access to them. These include cancer screening, birth control, sex education, preventative health care, and others. Abortions are about 3 % of the service Planned Parenthood provides. Federal law already prohibits Planned Parenthood from using federal funds for abortion. Trump and others in his regime are fully aware of this. But their goal of shutting down Planned Parenthood completely is a wedge in their assault to eliminate women’s right to abortion and even contraception. Cutting off all federal funding for Planned Parenthood has long been a central goal of Christian Fascist fundamentalists like Mike Pence, Jeff Sessions, Betsy DeVos and other leading figures in the Trump/Pence Regime.
A spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood said the organization will “never accept” Trump’s extortion attempt because “providing critical health care services for millions of American women is nonnegotiable.” This stand must be upheld and supported. The battle to keep Planned Parenthood open and functioning is vitally important. But the Trump/Pence Regime’s attacks on Planned Parenthood and on all women are a core component of its entire agenda. It is that entire agenda that must be opposed, and that entire fascist regime that must be driven from power.