Planned Parenthood CEO says blocking it from Medicaid funding is ‘devastating to patients’

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• William Brangham:

  Since President Trump signed his sweeping domestic policy bill into law, one key provision which prevents Planned Parenthood clinics from receiving Medicaid funding has already been blocked by a judge after the organization sued.

  Tomorrow, Judge Indira Talwani will hear the first arguments in the case since she issued a temporary restraining order.

  Joining us now to discuss this further is the president and CEO of Planned Parenthood, Alexis McGill Johnson.

  Thank you so much for being here.

  As I mentioned, Judge Talwani has already said that she believes your case is likely to succeed in proving that parts of this law are unconstitutional. What is the argument you're making in this suit?

• Alexis McGill Johnson, President, Planned Parenthood Action Fund:

  You know, ultimately, this case is about the fact that this reconciliation bill is devastating to patients and an entire health care system, all because of a decades-long plan to target and defund Planned Parenthood.

  We see our argument and our best case is to expose the naked attempt to attack and really punish Planned Parenthood not simply for providing access to abortion care, which we know Medicaid does not cover, but in fact to be a strong advocate and vocal rights supporter for abortion access across this country.

  And so we are leaning heavily on the First Amendment to protect our right to free speech and our right to association, because we believe that that is a fundamental freedom that should protect everyday Americans who seek access to health care from the providers who fight so hard on their behalf.

• William Brangham:

  If, as you're saying though, that Medicaid doesn't cover abortion, why would is this so crucial for Planned Parenthood? I mean, what would happen if your suit failed and Medicaid was blocked?

• Alexis McGill Johnson:

  Well, in fact, Medicaid is an insurance provider, as we know, for low-income communities. And half of all Planned Parenthood patients rely on Medicaid to get care.

  Planned Parenthood is a part of the public health infrastructure. We are a safety net of safety nets. And so taking away access to Medicaid for patients who need sexual reproductive health care services in largely rural communities or medically underserved areas is devastating on the communities that are being served.

  Planned Parenthood providers, just like any other health care provider, deserve to be reimbursed for the services that they provide, whether they are being reimbursed under a program like Medicaid or private insurance. And so we think it is fundamentally unconstitutional to target an organization like Planned Parenthood simply because we support abortion rights.

• William Brangham:

  Conservatives have argued that this isn't about Planned Parenthood, per se, but it's about the power of Congress to decide where taxpayer dollars are spent.

  Some of those legislators also argue that they simply don't want any money to support abortion care, reproductive care at all. What is your counter to that?

• Alexis McGill Johnson:

  The way this law was designed was specifically to target Planned Parenthood as a provider and our associated organizations, affiliated organizations.

  So when you design a law that intends to just trap one organization, at best two in it, that is really a targeted backdoor abortion ban because they know that, by attacking the resources that Planned Parenthood gets for providing things like STI testing and treatment, for providing birth control, for providing wellness exams and breast cancer screenings, those are the sorts of things that are being defunded in this egregious law.

  And access to abortion is really just a backdoor ban while they take away access to the other services.

• William Brangham:

  There was a recent KFF poll that indicated that 46 percent of Republicans in the U.S. oppose defunding Planned Parenthood.

  But nearly all the Republicans in Congress voted for the law that does exactly what you're arguing. How do you explain that mismatch?

• Alexis McGill Johnson:

  I think what we have is a Congress that has been heavily gerrymandered, meaning the districts have been designed to essentially elect some of the most extreme Republicans who are out of step with their constituents.

  State by state, as you have seen, in ballot initiative after ballot initiative, states like Kentucky and Montana and Ohio and Michigan, Kansas, states that are purple or red at best, have all voted in support of reproductive freedom one way or another.

  But we also know it is incredibly close. This bill passed with just the bare minimum margin in both the House and the Senate. All of those Republican senators who voted to defund Planned Parenthood are now vulnerable in many ways because of their constituents that are going to be harmed in the areas that they are serving.

• William Brangham:

  I want to ask you just one broader picture question here. I mean, it's been three years since Roe was overturned. I'm just curious how you all are approaching this moment with an administration and some state legislatures that seem determined to double down on these attacks on reproductive and abortion care.

• Alexis McGill Johnson:

  I will tell you that, every single day, Planned Parenthood health centers open up their doors, right?

  The people who are truly on the front line of fighting tyranny, they walk through protesters, they ensure safe passage for patients into clinics, and they deliver the most incredible, high-quality, time-sensitive, life-affirming care imaginable.

  I won't say it is not a challenge, obviously, to do it in a climate that has been determined to tear us down at every fight, to deny our ability to make the most basic health care decisions about our own bodies. And yet, in true admiration, they show up because they know that, when people are denied the opportunity to make decisions about their lives, then they are denied the opportunity to determine their futures.

  And we know most Americans are with us on that. And that is also what keeps us going.

• William Brangham:

  All right, that is Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood.

  Thank you so much for being here.

• Alexis McGill Johnson:

  Thank you.