May 1, 2020
Before
the rule took effect, the Title X family planning program served four million
patients nationwide
Carson City, NV – Today,
Nevada Attorney General Aaron D. Ford and California Attorney General Xavier
Becerra filed a multistate amicus brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the
Fourth Circuit,
supporting the City of Baltimore in its lawsuit
against the Trump-Pence Administration’s Title X rule. The new
rule restricts access to critical
preventive reproductive healthcare by prohibiting doctors from providing
referrals for abortion or offering complete information to patients about their
family planning options. In the brief, the 23 state coalition explains
that the new rule endangers the health, well-being and economic security
of their residents, leaving patients in entire regions and states
nationwide without providers. The attorneys general urge the Court to uphold a lower court
ruling halting implementation of the Title X rule.
“Politics has no place in
the doctor’s office, and I’m proud to lead an effort to fight misguided
attempts to prevent families from receiving accurate information and options
about their healthcare,” said Nevada Attorney General Aaron D. Ford. “Millions
of low-income and under-served families rely on Title X for access to a broad
range of health services, and my office will use every means to ensure their
rights are protected.”
“With
this rule, the Trump-Pence Administration has upended the Title X
program, which provides critical reproductive and preventative health services
to low-income women and families across the nation,” added
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra. “At a time when many
Americans are facing uncertainty in both their health and finances due to the
coronavirus, programs that provide low-cost healthcare, like Title X, are more
critical than ever. Our coalition stands with the millions of women and families
across the nation who rely on Title X for healthcare services in urging the
Court to halt this harmful rule.”
The Title X family
planning program is instrumental in the states’ efforts to deliver preventative
and reproductive healthcare to low-income women and families. Over the last 50
years, Title X has created a strong network of medical providers
committed to delivering high-quality, evidence-based preventive health
services. Prior to 2019, the Title X program funded a wide array of critical
public health services, including family planning counseling, access
to FDA-approved contraceptive methods, pelvic exams and crucial screenings for
high blood pressure, anemia, diabetes, sexually transmitted diseases and
infections, and cervical and breast cancer. The
Trump-Pence Administration’s new Title X
Rule, however, has harmed the Title X program nationwide.
Since the new Title X
Rule went into effect, the states’ Title X programs have been upended, with
many qualified providers leaving the program. In 13 states, more than 50
percent of Title X grantees have withdrawn from the program, and several states
no longer have any Title X providers. Furthermore, new
providers have not filled the gap caused by the withdrawals. As a result,
states have faced increased burdens to meet residents’ needs for essential
healthcare.
The coalition also
notes that in light of the recent
pandemic, clinic withdrawals from the Title X program place an additional
strain on health systems nationwide. Due to COVID-19, many people have lost
insurance coverage or are experiencing financial instability due to
unemployment and could benefit from Title X’s low-cost services.
Today’s brief is the
latest step in AG Ford’s efforts to protect the Title X program. On March
5, 2019, AG Ford joined a coalition of 21 attorneys general filing a lawsuit
challenging the constitutionality of the new proposed rule in the U.S. District
Court in Eugene, Oregon. This lawsuit remains ongoing.
In addition to Nevada
and California, other states participating in this brief include: Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware,
Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New
Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode
Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and the District of Columbia.
A copy of the filed amicus
brief is attached.
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