The Washington Post claimed in an article Friday that Planned Parenthood does not use Medicaid funds for abortions. “As the nation’s largest abortion provider, the 100-year-old nonprofit has sustained attacks at both the state and federal level, although the clinic does not use Medicaid funding to provide abortion services,” the article states.
Verdict: False
The Hyde Amendment allows Medicaid funding exclusively for abortions in cases of rape, incest, or if the mother’s life is in danger. The Washington Post’s claim that Planned Parenthood does not use Medicaid funds to cover abortions is false.
Fact Check:
The Washington Post’s article, covering Planned Parenthood closures in Iowa and the potential removal of governmental funds from abortion providers, mistakenly claimed that Planned Parenthood does not receive Medicaid funds for abortion services. The claim is in direct contradiction to a federal amendment, several state decisions, and Planned Parenthood’s website.
The Hyde Amendment was passed in 1976, three years after Roe v. Wade, and went into effect in 1980. The amendment prohibited federal funds from being used for abortions except in the cases of rape, incest, and if the mother’s life was in danger.
Due to its attachment to the HHS Appropriations Bill, the Hyde Amendment must be passed each year. The current version of the amendment includes the three exceptions – rape, incest, or risk to the mother’s life – for Medicaid-funded abortions.
Additionally, 17 states direct Medicaid funds to cover abortions they deem “medically necessary” for those on Medicaid. Three other states allow state funds to cover abortions related to “fetal impairment.”
Planned Parenthood clearly states how the Hyde Amendment affects Medicaid funding for abortions and their opposition to it. They make no claim, as Washington Post does, that Planned Parenthood’s clinics do “not use Medicaid funding to provide abortion services.”
While the Hyde Amendment created specific requirements, Medicaid can still be used for abortion services and 17 states use Medicaid funds to cover abortions deemed medically necessary.
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