Planned Parenthood's exit from Title X will 'most certainly' impact Rochester clinic

Mayor Kim Norton said Planned Parenthood’s decision to stop accepting Title X funding will “most certainly” have an impact here in Rochester.

The mayor made the comments Monday as news began to spread about Planned Parenthood’s decision to walk away from $60 million in annual federal funding over a new government restriction.

“This loss of funds will most certainly impact our local provider and might raise concerns about future services for their clients,” said Norton.

Planned Parenthood said this week that it had no other choice but to cut off the funding after the Trump administration finalized a rule barring recipients of Title X — the federal program that helps low-income women with family planning — from making referrals for abortions.

The organization’s exit from the Title X program has galvanized many pro-life supporters who have long sought to strip the organization — which provides abortions at some clinics — of federal funding.

The move has also raised serious questions about access to reproductive healthcare services, especially in states like Minnesota, where the organization serves 90 percent of the Title X patients.

Here at the Rochester clinic, Title X funding supports care for almost 3,000 people annually, according to Norton. Reproductive healthcare services funded by the 50-year-old Title X program include birth control, cancer screenings, and STD testing and treatment.

Norton said, despite the loss of a key funding source, she has been assured that the health center in Rochester remains open and able to serve patients.

“I’m certain that this community, so deeply-rooted in providing excellent health care, will make sure that no one go without affordable reproductive health care in Rochester,” said Norton.

Sean Baker is a Rochester journalist and the founder of Med City Beat.

Cover photo via Flickr / Creative Commons