Planned Parenthood still active despite loss in funds
On Aug. 14, Utah Gov. Gary Herbert issued a directive to stop the pass-through of federal funds to Planned Parenthood Association of Utah.
“In light of ongoing concerns about the organization, I have instructed state agencies to cease acting as an intermediary for pass-through federal funds to Planned Parenthood,” Herbert said in an official statement.
The directive was issued after the release of a video on YouTube that showed a woman from Planned Parenthood discussing the sale or donation of fetal tissue. The accuracy of the video has since been disputed, as editing could have taken the woman’s comments out of context.
Karrie Galloway, the CEO of the Planned Parenthood Association of Utah, said she is extremely disappointed in the decision.
“I don’t feel it’s good policy-making,” Galloway said. “There was no investigation, and Planned Parenthood of Utah has done nothing wrong, and he admitted that. Guilt by association — that’s not policy.”
Nichole Cox, a junior in animal science at Utah State University, was concerned that the loss of funding could result in the loss of that resource. She had been planning on using Planned Parenthood to get a form of contraception her insurance didn’t cover.
“My insurance, even if it’s covered, only covers up to $500,” Cox said. “It was kind of my only option to get that done, because otherwise I can’t afford it.”
The directive does not affect the majority of Planned Parenthood’s money, with only 24 percent of its funds coming from the government, and only a percentage of that coming from the funds this directive affects.
This means the organization still has enough to keep its doors open and its programs going, though it will have to find other sources for the funds it has lost.
Galloway said it will not affect Planned Parenthood’s goal for public health.
“Planned Parenthood does not break its commitments to deal with public health,” she said. “We will still be diagnosing and treating chlamydia. We will still be providing sexual health information and education.”
Galloway believes this decision does not show that public health is a shared goal for Gov. Herbert.
“These decisions Gov. Herbert has made has hurt the public health of Utah,” she said.
—reid.al73@gmail.com