Public comments have closed on proposed changes to the federal family planning program. More than 100,000 comments have been received.
But providers don’t know when a new rule for the Title 10 program might come down.
The Trump administration is proposing restricting family planning providers from giving patients information on abortion, even upon request. It would also require Title 10 clinics to have a separate facility and staff for family planning services and another for abortion services.
Planned Parenthood of Delaware CEO Ruth Lytle Barnaby said they wouldn’t be able to accept Title 10 funding under those conditions.
“Unethical and immoral to do that, in my view," she said. "Giving patients incorrect information or not giving them information and not providing part of our services is not acceptable.”
So Barnaby said it would have to find other sources of income.
“We are trying to figure out what kind of donations would we need, what kind of assistance would we need in order to just pay our bills and keep the doors open,” she said.
Barnaby said Planned Parenthood is the largest Title 10 provider in the state, serving 7,000 patients in the program. They would potentially have to find a new provider.
She said she’s hopeful legal challenges and public outcry will prevail. But she’s also encouraging women to get birth control and other services now before anything changes.
