The Obama administration took steps Wednesday to block states from cutting off federal family planning grants to Planned Parenthood, finalizing a rule that is to take effect just days before the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump.
The rule stipulates that states may not prohibit an organization from participating in Title X — the state-federal program that gives out tens of millions of dollars for family planning — for any reason other than the organization’s ability to provide services. It is designed to undercut efforts in some states to withhold taxpayer money from Planned Parenthood, which offers a variety of health-care services, primarily to low-income women. While the money cannot be used for abortions, some conservative lawmakers have targeted the group because it also offers the procedure at some of its clinics.
