Congress late last week scheduled a vote to nullify President Barack Obama's administration's protections over Title X family planning funding for abortion providers like Planned Parenthood.
The House Rules Committee Tuesday will hold a hearing on a final HHS rule that prohibited states from blocking Title X funding to family planning providers. The rule took effect just two days before the inauguration of President Donald Trump and was viewed as a temporary reprieve for reproductive health clinics.
With a GOP-controlled Congress and more states under Republican leadership, abortion rights activists believe they're facing significant battles to maintain access for patients. That's despite the fact that the Hyde Amendment already makes it illegal for providers to use federal funding to perform abortions.
Trump has vowed to defund Planned Parenthood, a leading source of free or discounted birth control. Neil Gorsuch, Trump's pick to replace Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, who died a year ago, appears to share pretty conservative views on abortion.