Court Strikes Down Trump’s Census Citizenship Question
For Immediate Release: Jan. 17, 2019
Planned Parenthood Applauds Decision, Calls on Congress to Remove Question Completely
WASHINGTON — A federal judge Tuesday blocked the Trump-Pence administration’s addition of a citizenship question to the 2020 Census.
Statement of Dr. Leana Wen, President, Planned Parenthood Federation of America:
As a physician who cares for immigrant communities and as an immigrant myself, I’m relieved to see the courts stop the Trump-Pence administration’s latest attack on our families, friends, and patients. The census is an important tool to ensure that federal funds are proportionately distributed to public health programs throughout the country, including Medicaid, WIC, and SNAP. Every single person residing in the U.S. has a constitutional right to be counted, and a fundamental right to health care. We join with our many partners to call on Congress to remove the citizenship question and allow the 2020 Census to move forward and count all people without discrimination.
The census determines people’s long-term representation at the federal, state and, in many cases, the local level. It also plays a significant role in ensuring that federal tax dollars are sent where they’re needed, based on how many people live in given communities. Adding a citizenship question to the 2020 Census is a departure from long-standing policy in which all people residing in the United States are counted. The question is opposed by a bipartisan group of former Census Bureau directors, and would result in an undercount of marginalized communities, including many immigrant communities.
Certain populations, like families with young children, families with low incomes, immigrants and Indigenous populations, have historically been underrepresented in census data. Adding additional barriers and exacerbating the undercount of immigrant communities would likely mean a reduction in the amount of support for women’s health programs in those communities. For example, Medicaid, a program that one in five women of reproductive age rely on, accounts for 58 percent of census-guided funding. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services also distributes funding for the nation’s program for affordable birth control based, in part, on the census results. Other services affected by the census range from highways and construction to foster care to State Children’s Health Insurance Programs.
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Planned Parenthood is the nation’s leading provider and advocate of high-quality, affordable health care for women, men, and young people, as well as the nation’s largest provider of sex education. With more than 600 health centers across the country, Planned Parenthood organizations serve all patients with care and compassion, with respect and without judgment. Through health centers, programs in schools and communities, and online resources, Planned Parenthood is a trusted source of reliable health information that allows people to make informed health decisions. We do all this because we care passionately about helping people lead healthier lives.