Planned Parenthood is withdrawing from the Title X family planning program, due to its refusal to comply with new rules regarding abortion providers and referrals.

New rules issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services prohibit Title X grantees from providing or referring patients for abortion, except in cases of rape, incest, or medical emergency. Planned Parenthood, the largest single provider of abortions in the country, refused to comply with these new rules and has withdrawn from the Title X family planning program – giving up about $60 million per year in federal funding.

To explain what this withdrawal from Title X and rejection of federal funding means for Planned Parenthood and pro-life Americans, Mallory Quigley, Vice President of Communications at the Susan B. Anthony List, stopped by The Drew Mariani Show™ this week. She pointed out that this decision by Planned Parenthood helps Americans to see how important abortion is to their organization’s existence.

“For a long time Planned Parenthood has sort of been bathed in this rosy glow, thanks to some in the pro-abortion media,” Quigley said. “And a lot of people just not knowing that they are the nation’s largest abortion business. We’ve been working really steadily for more than 50 years to expose the lies and expose the truth about Planned Parenthood and their racist and eugenicist origins. And there is a growing support for defunding Planned Parenthood.”

Funds for the Title X family planning program are given to pay for birth control, testing of sexually transmitted diseases, and cancer screenings for low-income patients. They are not permitted to be used toward abortions. However, questions have long been asked about whether the country’s single largest abortion provider can accept federal funds and ensure that they don’t go toward providing abortions.

“This is something that President Reagan tried to do, similar regulations to draw bright lines between abortion and ‘family planning,'” Quigley explained. “It’s not just about referrals. There are actually places where in one room they’re doing Title X family planning, counseling, and then in the next room over or across the hall that’s where they perform the abortions. And taxpayer money has been going to Planned Parenthood through Title X.”

“This is money that can be used for advertising, it can be used to pay electricity bills. There’s really not been enough regulation on the use of the money. So that’s why we’re so pleased with this rule and what it means. Planned Parenthood is giving up their second-largest source of funding. And $60 million is definitely not enough, but it’s a start.”

In hearing the reporting and Planned Parenthood’s own campaign against these new rules, many may be concerned that without the federal funding from Title X low-income women may not be able to access testing for certain diseases or cancers. Quigley pointed out that while the $60 million that Planned Parenthood is refusing is a lot of money, it is a small figure compared to the scale on which Planned Parenthood operates.

“Remember that Planned Parenthood reported $244 million in excess revenue on their last annual report, with $1.8 billion in net assets,” Quigley said. “And what has gone sorely underreported is what have the taxpayers gotten for their investment?”

“If you analyze their annual reports over the last 10 years, abortion is the only thing to go up or remain consistent. Their cancer screenings have dramatically declined and even contraception (which, as Catholics, we have a different view on this) but Planned Parenthood says contraception is their #1 thing, and that it’s not abortion. But their contraceptive services have dramatically declined as well. So the only thing that taxpayers have been getting for their investment in Planned Parenthood is more abortion.”

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Listen to the full conversation below:

The Drew Mariani Show airs weekdays from 3:00 – 6:00 p.m. Eastern/noon – 3:00 p.m. Pacific on Relevant Radio and the Relevant Radio App.