Here’s How Ivanka Trump Wants To Change Planned Parenthood—What Do You Think?
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Ivanka’s new idea seemingly targets this divisive problem.
The New York Times reports that Ivanka approached Cecile Richards, president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, to open up a dialogue after the inauguration. Apparently Ivanka had a specific proposal: to split Planned Parenthood into two parts. The idea was that a smaller arm of the organization could provide abortion services, and a larger arm would focus on women’s health services. According to the Times, “Planned Parenthood officials said they thought Ms. Trump’s advice was naïve, failing to understand how central reproductive choice was to the group’s mission.”
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In a statement provided to Women’s Health, Executive Vice President of Planned Parenthood Federation of America Dawn Laguens explained why the proposal is a bad idea.
Related: Here’s What a Future Without Planned Parenthood Might Look Like
“Let’s be clear: Since federal funds already do not pay for abortions, any proposal that Planned Parenthood must ‘split’ into separate providers is about creating barriers to the full range of reproductive health care,” she said. (Sign up for Women’s Health’s newsletter So This Happened to get the day’s trending stories).
She went on to explain why this mindset plays into how the organization is viewed.
“Importantly, it suggests Planned Parenthood health centers should be treated differently than hundreds of other health care facilities that are reimbursed by Medicaid for preventive health care services and which also perform abortion services. Asking Planned Parenthood to abandon our patients in need of safe abortion care in order to preserve our ability to provide cancer screenings and birth control is not a ‘common-sense’ idea. It is exactly what anti-women’s health activists have been pushing for years as part of their goal to outlaw abortion entirely. It is completely naive to believe they will stop at just separating services.”
Related: ‘I Was Diagnosed With Breast Cancer At 27—And Planned Parenthood Saved My Life’
Laguens also reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to making sure all women have choices when it comes to their reproductive care.
“Women deserve the full range of reproductive care and information they need to make their own decisions,” she said. “Abortion is a legal right and a health care service that should not be shamed or stigmatized by politicians, especially since one in three women in this country will have one at some point in her life. Providing critical health care services for millions of American women is nonnegotiable.”
It’s unclear how Planned Parenthood’s funding or future will be affected by the differing opinions in government, including Ivanka’s own, but this is the first time she’s vocalized thoughts on the organization’s future. Do you agree with her?