MINNETONKA, MN – Today, Rep. Dean Phillips (MN-03) issued the following statement on Planned Parenthood being forced out of Title X funding by the Trump Administration. The White House’s gag rule denies this crucial funding to organizations that refer their patients to safe and legal abortion options.

“This is dreadful news and I continue to be appalled by the Trump Administration’s assault on the health care of Minnesotans. More than 6,000 friends and neighbors in our Congressional District now risk being denied access to critical health care needs. Hardened ideological politics have no place in an exam room, especially when they prevent care providers from giving their patients sound medical advice. We must forcefully oppose this gag rule and work to ensure that every American has access to the health care they need.”

Planned Parenthood has two Title X-funded clinics in MN-03: in Brooklyn Park and Eden Prairie. About half of patients at the two clinics directly rely on Title X funding to afford their care.

Title X funding – a grant program that funds family planning for low-income families – was passed by Congress in 1970. The funding provides a range of essential preventive health services including contraception, STD testing and treatment, HIV testing, and breast and cervical cancer screenings. Title X funds are never used to pay for abortions. 53,000 patients received Title X support in Minnesota in 2018.

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