Trump administration can prioritise faith group funding over Planned Parenthood, court rules

The ruling was made by a judge Donald Trump appointed in 2017

Healthcare activists with Planned Parenthood and the Center for American Progress protest in opposition to the Senate Republican healthcare bill on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., June 28, 2017. (REUTERS)

A federal judge appointed by Donald Trump has ruled that federal funding can be reprioritised for faith-based groups over organisations like Planned Parenthood.

United States District Court Judge Trevor McFadden said new guidelines the Department of Health and Human services (HHS) issued in February did not require any prior review from the courts, writing in his decision, “courts cannot review substantive objections to a non-final agency action, nor can they require formal rulemaking for a change in agency procedure”.

The new guidelines will likely reshape the way HHS spends an estimated $260m in the Title X federal family-planning program, and could impact access to health care for four million Americans, according to Planned Parenthood.

The reproductive health care nonprofit filed a lawsuit along with the the National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association in May attempting to block the guidelines from taking effect.

Under Mr Trump, HHS will begin reassessing which family-planning groups receive millions in grants, favouring faith-based organisations and groups conducting abstinence counselling over birth control and abortion providers.

"The Trump-Pence administration is trying to impose its ideology on people - no matter how many it hurts," Dawn Laguens, the executive vice president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said in a statement.

The lawsuit alleged HHS' new criteria violates the Title X law, which authorises HHS “to award grants for projects to provide family planning services to any person desiring such services, with priority given to individuals from low–income families”.

However, the judge wrote in his decision that the guidelines support "voluntary family projects ... offering a broad range of acceptable and effective family planning methods and services."

Planned Parenthood has come under fire by the Trump administration for providing abortions, with Mike Pence repeatedly calling on legislators to defund the non profit. The organisation provides health care services to over 40 per cent of the Americans receiving insurance subsidised by Title X, while the majority of its services are related to contraception, STI/STD screening and treatment, cancer testing and women’s health services.