Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski is seen as a key ally in Planned Parenthood’s effort to remove President Donald Trump’s new rule regarding Title X federal funding for groups that provide health care.
Planned Parenthood clinics in Alaska and around the country are reeling from the loss of millions in federal dollars because the organization refuses to comply with the new rule that prohibits Title X grantees from providing or referring for abortions if they wish to continue receiving the federal funding.
Last week Planned Parenthood sent lobbyists to meet with lawmakers in Washington, D.C. where Murkowski is seen as a pivotal Republican who is supportive of Planned Parenthood and the abortion services it performs. A Nov. 20 email to supporters shows a photo of two Planned Parenthood supporters posing with Murkowski.
“We took the fight directly to their doorstep,” stated Ambalika Williams, Advocacy Program Associate Director for Planned Parenthood’s Action Fund. “We flew Planned Parenthood patients and activists to D.C. to join Physicians for Reproductive Health providers for a day of action — to talk face-to-face with members of Congress about why it’s so critical they reverse the gag rule and protect Title X funding.”
The email urged Planned Parenthood supporters to call their state senators and “demand that they protect Title X” funding for abortion clinics. Murkowski views by Planned Parenthood as an ally. In 2017 she sided with Planned Parenthood in voting against a measure that would allow states to ban abortion clinics from receiving Title X funding.
While Planned Parenthood is lamenting the loss of funds, the new rule opens up possibilities for Title X grants in Alaska for health centers that are pro-life.
