Mom used to say, don't cut off your nose to spite your face. But that is exactly what the Trump administration is doing. In order to punish one of the biggest providers of affordable health care, Republican leaders are hurting the people of the United States.

In an effort to force the closure of health care centers, Trump and his supporters in Congress have defunded Planned Parenthood. Why would they want to close health centers? Because abortion is among the many services provided at some of those centers. And they don't agree that we should have the right to decide for ourselves if, when, and how many children to have. 

But attacking Planned Parenthood is a cruel way to go after this right. The fact is, 1 out of 4 people across the country have visited Planned Parenthood health centers. Just last year, they had more than 2 million patients. A little over half of them used Medicaid to pay for health care. Many lack health insurance altogether.

For decades, people have gone to Planned Parenthood to access high-quality low-cost services. Some are life saving and health preserving, like cancer screenings and STI testing and treatment. Also, birth control and mental health services, among others.

Planned Parenthood has been working hard to shield its patients who use Medicaid by covering the cost of their care. But since the beginning of this year, 20 Planned Parenthood centers have had to close due to these attacks. And last week the courts ruled to allow the provision “defunding” Planned Parenthood to remain in effect.

It is important to note that Planned Parenthood only provides abortion at its clinics where it is legal to do so. Republicans in Congress want to decrease access to abortion. But what they are doing is preventing low-income patients from accessing many vital health services. Simply put, it is harmful and spiteful. 

For more info about defunding and what you can do to get involved listen here on Breaking Through radio (starting at 44:04).