Recent Planned Parenthood Closures Show the Pro-life Fight is Winnable

Picture by Ravi Roshan

Everyday they hold homemade signs, carry rosaries, and bow their heads in prayer as they pace in front of Planned Parenthood’s wrought iron gates. The anniversary of Roe v. Wade brings crowds to the clinic’s narrow sidewalks where men, women, and children seem completely unfazed by the blistering cold and dirty looks from passersby. This is the goosebump-raising scene I witness while driving down Cincinnati’s Auburn Avenue, home to Planned Parenthood’s Cincinnati surgical center.



Thankfully, fewer Cincinnati women will be sent through those gates.



Last Monday, Planned Parenthood announced its plans to close two of the organization’s Cincinnati clinics. The Springdale Health Center and Western Hills Health Center, both of which recommend women for abortion procedures, will close their doors on Sept. 20.



Planned Parenthood, which performs over 300,000 abortions a year, says “relentless state and federal attacks” are to blame for the financial troubles of the two clinics. In a press release, the organization cited the Trump administration’s August “gag rule,” a provision that prohibits Title X funding from family planning clinics that refer women to abortion providers, for the closures.



Currently, the Title X Family Planning program, which began in 1970, provides around $290 million annually for family planning services in low income communities. While the funds are not allowed to subsidize abortions, Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion provider in the United States, has been a major recipent.



Instead of complying with the Trump administration’s “Protect Life Rule,” Planned Parenthood chose to forgo their annual $60 million paycheck, continuing to refer women to abortion providers. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s recently signed budget is also poised to hurt the organization financially.



The July state budget, which focuses on childrens’ health programs and reducing infant and maternal mortality, slashed $1.5 million in state funding for Planned Parenthood and provides $7.5 million to pro-life pregnancy resource centers.



In a world focused on immediacy and instant gratification, it’s hard for many to appreciate small, hard-fought victories. For years, pro-life Americans have voted for the same Republican candidates, hoping their one vote will bring an avalanche of change. While dramatic change is far off, momentum is building and pro-life politicians are becoming braver.



Ohio, Louisiana, Missouri, and Georgia all passed heartbeat bills this year. Alabama’s Gov. Kay Ivey took it one step further, outright challenging Roe v. Wade with her state’s legislation. In 2018, forty abortion facilities closed or lost their designation as abortion clinics. Now, two in a single city are calling it quits.



The little victories will add up. And while the scene on Auburn will not immediately change, these recent closures give me faith and should give you hope that those who pray outside the gates will soon have their prayers answered.



Follow this author on Twitter: @regina__barton

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