Trump’s newly unveiled budget details a devastating blow to Planned Parenthood and women seeking gynecological care

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Trump’s newly unveiled budget details a devastating blow to Planned Parenthood and women seeking gynecological care

It’s a historic moment, but not in a good way

The Trump administration officially proposed its 2018 budget this morning.

And for the first time in history, it completely excludes national funding to all healthcare providers that perform abortion services.

According to the executive summary of the budget, it “follows through on a campaign promise and prohibits any funding in the Labor-HHS appropriations bill for certain entities that provide abortions, including Planned Parenthood.” To make matters worse, “this prohibition applies to all funds in the bill, including Medicaid.”

In 2014, 788 healthcare providers performed abortions across the United States. These providers can no longer accept Medicaid or receive federal grants, potentially turning away patients seeking annual exams, cancer screenings, STD tests, birth control and other medications.

Of course, this budget disproportionately harms poor women. Using federal funding to perform abortions is already illegal under the Hyde amendment, so Trump’s proposal would only keep healthcare providers from performing other important services for women who rely on government-funded healthcare.

The proposal is an especially devastating blow to Planned Parenthood, where 43 percent of revenue comes from government health services grants and Medicaid reimbursement. Along with being extraordinarily shitty between the lines, it is also the first budget in history to specifically names (and targets) a specific health care provider.

I mean, the budget cuts Medicaid in half, so maybe the administration just assumes no one will be able to afford health care anyway. Not that far of of a stretch.