Trump, Pence and the GOP Have Declared War On Birth Control

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They say they are fighting abortion, but recent actions by Donald Trump and his Republican enablers make clear that they in fact have declared war on birth control itself. In doing so they have taken the “war on women” to a new extreme level because they are challenging the right of women to have access to contraceptives, which are used by 60% of women of reproductive age.

On Friday we reported that:

“U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday issued a proposal that would effectively stop giving government funds that subsidize birth control for low-income women to Planned Parenthood and other clinics. The plan is aimed at fulfilling Trump’s campaign pledge to defund Planned Parenthood, an organization that provides abortions and other health services for women.”

“Congress provided $286 million in Title X grants in 2017 to Planned Parenthood and other health centers to provide birth control, screening for diseases and cancer, and other reproductive counseling to low-income women. The funding cannot be used for abortions, but abortion opponents have long complained that the money subsidizes Planned Parenthood.”

The press reports are very misleading. They say that Trump’s actions will take funds away from abortion providers. But as the above passage makes clear they are taking funds away from necessary women’s health services such as “birth control, screening for diseases and cancer, and other reproductive counseling to low-income women.”

To say Republicans are being sneaky is an understatement. Right-wing evangelicals like Mike Pence and Mike Huckabee have been using Christianity as a cover for decades to take reproductive rights away from women in the United States. Title X money can’t be used for abortions but they want to cut it anyway.

Senator Elizabeth Warren tweeted about this issue, making clear that Trump and the GOP are not fooling everybody:

“Title X provides birth control, cancer screenings & HIV tests to over 4M Americans. It doesn’t fund abortions & never has. But today, @realdonaldtrump will issue a “gag” rule that will stop Title X doctors from even talking to their patients about abortion-related services.”

She also had this to say

@realdonaldtrump‘s gag rule is designed to kick providers like Planned Parenthood out of Title X & hold women hostage to the GOP’s agenda. Title X patients won’t be able to learn about all their reproductive options – worsening health care disparities & reducing access to care.

And finally this:

“We’re going to keep fighting back against @realdonaldtrump, @VP Pence, and right-wing politicians who want to regulate women’s bodies and shut down Planned Parenthood. Women’s reproductive health care is health care. Period. #StandwithPP“

Clearly there is a major issue here. Texas politician Wendy Davis on MSNBC said that 80 women’s health clinics were closed in Texas and NONE of them provided abortions.

It is clear now that when Republicans are in power they turn the government over to their big money providers, which includes both the NRA and Evangelical Christians. In effect what we have is a right-wing Evangelical takeover of the United States government. They are systematically taking away the rights of women, and this cannot be allowed to continue.

This year will be critical as unprecedented numbers of women are running for office, and it is important that they win so that the U.S. government can once again become the champion of human rights, including the rights of women to have control over their own bodies.

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Leo Vidal

I am a lifelong Democrat with a passion for social justice and progressive issues. I have degrees in writing, economics and law from the University of Iowa.