Did you know that one in four people in the U.S. has been to a Planned Parenthood health center for high-quality, affordable care? That care often includes birth control, STI testing and treatment, cancer screenings, wellness exams, and more.

So when lawmakers talk about plans to "defund" Planned Parenthood, this is what they mean: cutting off millions of people from essential health care services.

Here's what lawmakers trying to "defund" Planned Parenthood through Medicaid and Title X cuts conveniently leave out of their politically motivated narratives:

• There's no line item in the federal budget for Planned Parenthood. Instead, most federal money goes to Planned Parenthood as reimbursements for health care provided through health programs like Medicaid.
• Because the Hyde Amendment restricts Medicaid coverage of abortion except in cases of rape or incest or to save the patient's life, Planned Parenthood does not receive federal Medicaid reimbursements for abortion other than in those circumstances — meanwhile, millions of people are cut off from this essential health service.
• The majority of Planned Parenthood patients use Medicaid and other state and federal programs to get sexual and reproductive health care. Many Planned Parenthood health centers are located in health provider deserts, where patients would have a hard time accessing health care without Planned Parenthood.
• Title X is the nation's only federal program dedicated specifically to providing affordable birth control, cancer screenings, and other sexual and reproductive health care to people with low incomes. Today, more than 300 Planned Parenthood health centers are in the Title X network, serving a diverse range of patients, many of whom live below the federal poverty line.
• If Planned Parenthood patients can't get quality, affordable health services through Medicaid, there would be grave nationwide consequences. Look at Texas: After the state "defunded" Planned Parenthood by removing Planned Parenthood health centers from its family planning program, more than half of all Texas women reported at least one barrier to reproductive health care.

Planned Parenthood providers are an essential part of the public health system. There are real consequences for people and communities when they can no longer get that care — especially for those who already face systemic barriers to getting care, including Black, Latino, and Indigenous communities, LGBTQ+ people, and women.

We always fight back against those who try to take away people's access to care. We always will. Thank you for being an essential part of this work.

— Planned Parenthood Federation of America