President Biden has officially been in office for just over one month and has managed to reverse many policies that were put in place by the Trump Administration. These include the repeal of the Title X gag rule that former-President Trump signed in 2019. The gag rule ensured that grants were withheld from organizations that told their patients how to safely access an abortion if they choose to, therefore restricting the accessibility to reproductive healthcare. Title X restricted abortion access, but consequently restricted access to many other critical health services. Many reproductive healthcare organizations, such as Planned Parenthood, also offer free birth control, cancer screenings, contraception, and sexual education on top of abortion access. Title X obstructed the use of these other critical services simply because these organizations offer abortion clinics.
President Biden has pledged to expand access to reproductive healthcare that is not only affordable but is also high quality. He has said that his administration will expand on the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which among tackling many healthcare issues, ensures that women cannot be charged more for health insurance due to their gender. According to “The Biden Agenda for Women,” during the 2020 Presidential campaign, “The Affordable Care Act made historic progress ensuring access to free preventive care, including contraception. The Biden Plan will build on that progress. Vice President Biden supports repealing the Hyde Amendment because healthcare is a right that should not be dependent on one’s zip code or income. And, the public option will cover contraception and a woman’s constitutional right under Roe v. Wade.”
Planned Parenthood has 6 points that they hope the administration will address in their first 100 days. The first, the ending of the gag rules, has already been completed. The organization also hopes that the Biden-Harris administration will work to end restrictions on the abortion pill that were put in place by the previous presidential administration, as well as the repeal of the Hyde Amendment. The Hyde Amendment blocks funding for all Medicaid insurance used for abortion services, such that women with Medicaid cannot use their insurance for abortion services and will therefore limit their access and ability to choose to have an abortion. The last points on Planned Parenthood’s agenda for the Biden administration include support for COVID-19 relief that prioritizes the needs of women and their families, the goal of appointing reproductive health advocates, and calls for the reinstatement of “guidance prohibiting states from cutting Planned Parenthood out of Medicaid,” as per Planned Parenthood’s social media pages.
The goal of both the Biden-Harris Administration and Planned Parenthood is to provide all Americans access to affordable, high-quality reproductive healthcare, regardless of how they identify or what insurance they may or may not have. This seems to be the goal of many Americans across the country as well. Following the death of Conservative radio-host Rush Limbaugh on February 17th, 2021, film director Quentin Tarantino raised $200,000 in just 24 hours for Planned Parenthood when he set up a fundraiser as a memorial. The fundraiser has now raised over $700,000.
