I was proud to see the Planned Parenthood Association of Utah, along with Ohio and Wisconsin, file a lawsuit against the Trump administration for seeking to change Title X funding requirements by obliging doctors to promote abstinence instead of birth control.
Planned Parenthood serves over 41 percent of the over 4 million low-income Americans who receive subsidized care under Title X’s family-planning program. Under Title X’s family-planning program, Planned Parenthood provides comprehensive birth control options, STI testing, various cancer screenings and other vital services.
Down here in southern Utah, St. George is the only clinic that receives Title X funding. The clinic provides crucial, affordable and accessible health care to southern Utah’s most vulnerable people. There has been a spike in our Latino population as southwest Utah continues to grow at unprecedented rates. The “hookup culture” developed from advancements in technology has increased the rate of STIs in young adults.
Finally, Utah is already a conservative state, and access to factual sex education is rare. Consequences of these problems are real and require a response, a response the Planned Parenthood Association of Utah is willing to make by taking a stand against the Trump administration’s attack on accessible health care and birth control for all.
Alee Holbrook, St. George