580 Elected Officials Oppose Trump’s Nationwide Gag Rule

It’s the job of state and local elected officials to know what’s best for the people in their communities. That’s why mayors representing more than 32 million Americans in 80 cities across the country just wrote a letter to the Trump-Pence administration denouncing its proposed nationwide gag rule. These leaders are uniting to demand their citizens’ right to access affordable, quality health care and information. And they’re not the only ones speaking out.

The mayors joined more than 200 U.S. senators and representatives, 14 governors, and 274 state legislators who recently came out in opposition to the gag rule, which would prohibit health care providers from referring patients for safe, legal abortion and block patients from Planned Parenthood health centers.

That’s almost 600 elected officials who
think Trump’s gag rule is a dangerous
attack on our rights and health.
 

What the Gag Rule Means for Your Health

The Trump-Pence administration’s nationwide gag rule, officially proposed on May 22, would harm the four million patients who rely on Title X — the nation’s program for affordable birth control and reproductive health care.

Planned Parenthood health centers serve 41 percent of the patients who get care through Title X. Blocking these patients from Planned Parenthood health centers would leave many of them with nowhere else to go for birth control, cancer screenings, wellness exams, and other crucial preventive care.

But the domestic gag rule wouldn’t just affect Planned Parenthood. The rule “gags” any Title X provider from referring patients for abortion. That means it would affect every health care provider in the program, from community health centers to hospitals.

What City Leaders Say About the Gag Rule

In an open letter to Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar, a bipartisan group of 80 mayors highlighted the irreplaceable care that Planned Parenthood’s services provide people in their communities. The mayors also declared their support for equitable health care access:

People go to Planned Parenthood and other Title X centers because they know they will find health care professionals who are compassionate experts dedicated to reproductive and preventive health care.

... It would be nothing short of disastrous for the millions of people who access care through the Title X program to lose access to the providers that they trust and to the expert information that directly impacts their bodies and lives.

Act now: Stop the gag rule

What State Leaders Say About the Gag Rule

In a separate letter to Azar, 14 governors also underscored the danger of politicians interfering in the doctor-patient relationship. The governors pledged to fight back.

If this reckless policy is finalized as written, we will have no choice but to explore all possible avenues, including legal options, to block it from harming the women in our states.

What Everyone Else Says About the Gag Rule

The nationwide gag rule has been met with widespread opposition not only by lawmakers, but also by the American people, the medical community, and public health organizations.

• 73 percent of Americans oppose administration actions like Trump’s nationwide gag rule, according to polling by Hart Research Associates.

• More than 110 public health organizations have come out in opposition to the gag rule. Major medical associations are also speaking out about the dangers of a gag rule. The American Nurses Association said Trump’s gag rule “violates basic ethics of the [nursing] profession.” The American Medical Association also made clear that it strongly objects to the rule.

Related Content

• Governors Join Growing Opposition to Trump-Pence Administration’s Domestic Gag Rule

• Download the Mayors’ Letter

• Download the Governors’ Letter