The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Trump administration published a series of proposed changes to the regulations governing the Title X family planning program. Title X, enacted in 1970, is the only federal grant program dedicated solely to providing individuals with comprehensive family planning and related preventive health services gives access to fundamental health care possible for 4 million low-income, uninsured, and underserved Americans each year.
According to this excerpt from the HHS release: The proposed update to the regulations ensures compliance with statutory program integrity provisions governing the program and, in particular, the statutory prohibition on funding “programs where abortion is a method of family planning.” (42 U.S.C. § 300a-6) The proposed update to the regulations, which were last revised 18 years ago, would also make notable improvements designed to increase the number of patients served and improve their quality of care. The updates can be found HERE.
For millions of Texans, without Title X, access to high-quality family planning services for low-income residents would decrease drastically, according to reports.
According to news reports these proposed regulations would:
- Block the availability of federal funds to family planning providers like Planned Parenthood that also offer abortion services;
- Curtail counseling and referrals to abortion services by Title X funded providers;
- Eliminate current requirements that Title X sites offer a broad range of medically approved family planning methods and non-directive pregnancy options counseling that includes information about prenatal care/delivery, adoption, and abortion; and
- Direct new funds to faith-based and other organizations that promote fertility awareness and abstinence as methods of family planning.
Title X Funding Opportunity Announcement(FOA) issued by the Trump Administration issued the 2018, was sued by Three Planned Parenthood affiliates and the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association (NFPRHA) for violation of the Title X statute and regulations and that not promulgated through proper rulemaking.
