A Federal Court Blocks Trump’s Title X Gag Rule

The ruling is a temporary reprieve from the Trump-Administration’s unprecedented attack on rights and health care access

Reno, NV –  Last night, a federal judge in Oregon issued a preliminary injunction against the Trump-Pence administration’s gag rule on Title X, the nation’s only program dedicated to affordable birth control and reproductive health care. The injunction is the result of a joint lawsuit filed by the Planned Parenthood Federation of America and American Medical Association on March 3rd.

The rule, which is scheduled to go into effect on May 3rd, would have a devastating effect on the millions of patients who rely on the Title X program for access to affordable reproductive care. The Title X program served nearly 11,000 people in Nevada in 2017 alone. The vast majority of these patients are lower-income, underinsured, and have limited access to affordable birth control and cancer screenings in their communities and this rule leaves their health, rights, and lives hanging in the balance.  

Statement of Lindsey Harmon, Executive Director, Planned Parenthood Votes Nevada:  

“This injunction is a win for the millions of patients nationwide who depend on the Title X program for affordable reproductive health care, but it is just the beginning of a long road to defeating this harmful rule. For Nevadans who are able to access vital health care services like affordable birth control and cancer screenings due to Title X funding, the consequences reach far beyond access to safe, legal abortion. While this injunction is a win for our patients, the relief is temporary and Planned Parenthood Votes Nevada and our allies will continue to fight for everyone’s equal right to access the full spectrum of reproductive health care regardless of income or insurance status.”  

Here are the facts about Title X and the Gag Rule:  

• This rule is opposed by the general public, the medical community, lawmakers, and public health experts. When the rule was announced, nearly 500,000 Americans submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services voicing their opposition.  

• Major medical associations like the American Medical Association, National Medical Association, National Hispanic Medical Association, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American College of Physicians, and others stand against this rule. In addition, more than 200 members of Congress and 100 public health organizations have come out in opposition to a gag policy.  

• There is no replacement for Planned Parenthood, as researchers, medical experts and other providers agree. This rule will jeopardize access to free or low-cost basic needs — like birth control, and STI or cancer screenings — for many underserved communities, including rural communities and many communities of color.   

• Many of the lists of “replacement” providers brandished by proponents of policies to block care at Planned Parenthood don’t even provide reproductive health care. In Louisiana, the state list of alternative providers included dentists and nursing homes. In Florida, it included school nurses. In Ohio, it included food banks.   

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