Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt led a coalition of 10 Republican governors in formally requesting the federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to revoke Planned Parenthood's eligibility for the federal 340B drug pricing program.

The 340B drug pricing program, established by Congress in 1992, requires pharmaceutical manufacturers to supply outpatient drugs to qualified "covered entities," such as safety-net hospitals and community health centers, at significantly discounted prices. Proponents argue that the program helps communities with scarce healthcare resources maximize their limited funds.

In a letter delivered on Thursday, the governors contended that the drug discount program, designed to support low-income healthcare providers, should not be indirectly used to subsidize abortion services. Signatories include the governors of Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Ohio, Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming. 

“Under no circumstances should taxpayer dollars be used to fund abortions,” Governor Stitt stated in a press release. “That is precisely why I led 10 Republican governors to urge HRSA to remove Planned Parenthood’s 340B status. This program is meant to help patients, not to fund abortions.”

The governors pointed out that “Congress has long made it clear, through legal restrictions such as the Hyde Amendment, that federal funds cannot be used for abortion services except in extremely limited circumstances.” They added, “Similarly, the 340B program is intended to allow certain safety-net providers to ‘maximize their limited federal resources’ to better serve low-income patients, not to subsidize organizations that provide or promote abortions.”

The letter specified, “While supporters often claim that federal funds are not ‘directly’ used for abortions, this ignores the economic reality that funds are fungible. Federal support through the 340B program allows Planned Parenthood to reduce its operating costs, free up unrestricted funds to move elsewhere, and expand its abortion procedures elsewhere.”

The letter further noted that “even if Planned Parenthood entities in states with anti-abortion laws do not apply federal funds to abortion procedures, the organization’s national infrastructure still benefits, enabling it to expand its abortion procedures in states where abortions are legal and actively promoted.”

In 1991, the U.S. Supreme Court, in the case of Rust v. Sullivan, recognized the government’s legitimate interest in promoting childbirth over abortion when making funding decisions.

By Sung Ku Hong, Chief Reporter, NNP = Special Correspondent for this publication NNP info@newsandpost.com