TAYLORSVILLE, Utah — When we get a lot of Facebook comments on one story, we know a significant number of our viewers care about the issue, leading FOX 13 News anchors or reporters to head somewhere in our broadcast area to see what people think.
Max Roth started by reaching out to our Facebook followers, but with the time ticking, he hopped in his truck and drove to the Taylorsville campus of Salt Lake Community College to ask students for their thoughts on Planned Parenthood losing federal Title X funding in Utah.
He shared the moments he shared with students on campus below:
Title X is funding specifically designated to support family planning medical services to low income people and underserved areas. In Utah, the only agency receiving such money is Planned Parenthood, which operates eight clinics, soon to be six.
Different viewpoints shared over Planned Parenthood clinics closing in Utah:
The Trump administration decided to freeze the current funding for a number of Title X grantees around the country, including in Utah, and the loss in Utah will mean Planned Parenthood closing clinics in Logan and St. George.
Everyone I approached on the SLCC campus who agreed to talk was opposed to the funding cuts.
"I definitely am not for it, that's for sure," said student Ben Benedict.
Maggie O'Connell agreed, noting that Planned Parenthood provides important healthcare services that are easy for people to access.
"If people are so set on decreasing abortion, that's their main point, then they can't also take away the health care that's going to educate people and allow people to take the steps necessary to prevent unwanted pregnancies," O'Connell said.
While talking with O'Connell and Benedict, I noticed a student across the plaza listening intently, so I approached to see if she was interested in sharing an opinion.
What she shared was a personal story.
Morgen Call read about the funding cuts just prior to our conversation and she expressed shock and fear about the decision.
She told me she had an abortion at Planned Parenthood in 2024.
"They saved my life. I would not be here studying [and] doing what I want to do in life if I didn't have the support of Planned Parenthood," Call said and added, "When I say saved my life, I mean I would have lost my freedom to have the life I want."
Call told me that she personally had the money for the procedure, and her heart went out to women who didn't have the same resources, especially in communities where clinics will close.
"It's targeting low income groups, and so my heart goes out to the people that won't have access," Call said.
Although I was unable to find any students at Salt Lake Community College who supported the funding cuts, I did reach out to people who had commented on our Facebook page with that viewpoint. None responded to my request for a statement on camera, but in their comments they said that since Planned Parenthood provides abortions, federal funding should not go to the organization, even if those particular funds are not used for abortions.
