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Planned Parenthood Sues Over Birth Control

By KFBB News Team

Story Created: Jun 22, 2009 at 3:54 PM MST

Story Updated: Jun 22, 2009 at 5:52 PM MST

Planned Parenthood of Montana is suing to overturn a law that prohibits the Children’s Health Insurance Plan from funding prescription birth-control.

According to Planned Parenthood, Montana is one of only four states in the country that prohibits the Children’s Health Insurance Plan from covering prescription birth control. As a result, Planned Parenthood recently filed a complaint with the state Human Rights Commission, asking it to overturn the law because it discriminates against women.

Lindsay Love, of Planned Parenthood, says, “Based on our complaint, we find that the CHIP policy violates the Montana Constitution, the Montana Human Rights Act, and also Montana’s Unisex Insurance Policy.”

Survey data shows that CHIP covers nearly 2,000 girls ages 15 or older, and approximately half are sexually active. Montana has one of the highest teen-pregnancy rates in the nation, and Planned Parenthood claims it doesn’t make sense to deny birth-control coverage for teen-agers covered by CHIP.

Love explains, “I think this really is just about our patients, and we never want to be in a situation where we have to tell a patient, who’s taking responsibility for their reproductive health care, that we can’t help them with that. We’ve been trying to address this issue for almost ten years, legislatively, and unfortunately we’ve been met with sort of a political brick wall. For this issue, it seems that politics and ideology seems to trump common sense and prevention.”

There are still those who have their doubts about Planned Parenthood’s complaint. Gregg Trude, who serves as executive director for Right to Life Montana, says that Planned Parenthood has it all wrong.

According to Trude, “Planned Parenthood is not telling the whole truth. Girls right now can get contraceptives under the CHIP program, but they have to get a doctor’s prescription, so if a young girl needs her period to be regulated, or needs contraceptives for whatever reason, she can go to her doctor and she can get them prescribed right now, so they’re not telling the truth about it.”

Planned Parenthood continues to stand firm, despite its critics.

Trude adds, “Planned Parenthood has their own agenda and people need to look and see, what is their agenda.”

Currently, the Montana Human Rights Bureau has an attorney reviewing the complaint. An informal investigation could take up to 180 days.

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DaBigCD said on Friday, Dec 3 at 10:47 AM

When planned parenthood talks about contraceptives, the only thing they say that even resembles a warning is telling how effective they are. They have never warned that if you don't want a baby then you shouldn't [expletive]

Berkley said on Wednesday, Jul 8 at 1:24 PM

Katie, I have to thank you for the chuckle. The "vested interest in the failure of birth control" leading to high-profit-margin abortions is definitely a new one for me. Planned Parenthood is a non-profit organization led by a volunteer board of directors. Yes, cash flow is important for development and sustaining operations, but as a non-profit they are accountable to the board and, ultimately, those they serve. Cash is not the bottom line; reproductive rights are.

Katie said on Wednesday, Jun 24 at 7:20 PM

They already peddle this garbage to our girls without good success and who knows what kind of long term health issues. Planned Parenthood, as always, is really only concerned with their incoming cash flow. They have a vested interest in the failure of birth control, because then they can offer high profit services like abortion.

GM said on Wednesday, Jun 24 at 2:37 PM

Dear BethM, Contraception doesn't stop conception, but rather implantation. The child's life is lost. Abstinence is not easy in our dysfunctional, sexually fixated society. But our choices can lead to self improvement rather than chemically enabled, self-destructive behavior.

BethM said on Tuesday, Jun 23 at 9:05 AM

I am so tired of the Right to Life groups insisting that contraception is the equivalent of abortion. In a perfect world abstinence would be easy and sufficient. This is not a perfect world. Decisions get made, good or bad. Look at Bristol Palin! And she's on the conservative side! Whatever happened to an ounce of prevention being worth a pound of cure. If you don't want the abortions, prevent the pregnancies. Seriously....DUH!

Selah89 said on Tuesday, Jun 23 at 8:02 AM

The lead of this piece is incorrect. This isn't a lawsuit. It's a complaint with the Human Rights Bureau. Lawsuits are filed in courts.

Stacey Anderson, PPMT said on Tuesday, Jun 23 at 8:01 AM

All hormonal contraceptives such as the pill require a prescription, but in the case of CHIP if the pill is prescribed for contraceptive purposes that prescription is denied coverage. Young women cannot get contraceptives for "whatever reason" under CHIP - there is a clear prohibition and denial of coverage if that prescription is being used for pregnancy prevention.

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