Planned Parenthood is standing by its decision to withdraw from the federal government's Title X family planning program rather than comply with the Trump administration's new "gag" rule that bars referrals to doctors who provide abortions.
"Our patients count on us to talk to them about all health care options, and it is untenable not to do that," said Dr. Timothy Spurrell, the organization's medical director for southern New England.
For decades, maternal health clinics have been banned from using taxpayer money to fund abortions, except in instances of rape, incest, or medical emergencies. Yet the new order — issued by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) earlier this year — further impedes clinical care by prohibiting Title X recipients from even referring patients to other doctors who perform abortions.
Certain Title X grantees are "blaming the government for their own actions," HHS said in a statement, adding that the participants that withdrew "are abandoning their obligations to serve their patients under the program."
In March, Planned Parenthood and American Medical Association sued the Trump administration to block the gag order, which it said would "decimate the Title X program."
"I want our patients to know: while the Trump administration may have given up on you, Planned Parenthood never will. Our doors are open today, and our doors will be open tomorrow," Alexis McGill Johnson, the organization's acting president and CEO, said in a statement. "The Trump administration's gag rule will reverberate across the country. This reality will hit hardest people struggling to make ends meet — including those people in rural areas and communities of color."
Planned Parenthood said that people will especially suffer in states where access to abortion is already heavily restricted. In Utah, for instance, Planned Parenthood is the only Title X grantee, and in Minnesota the organization serves 90 percent of patients that receive care under the program.
"It will simply be impossible for other health centers to fill the gap," Johnson said during a press call. "Wait times for appointments will skyrocket, and people will delay or go without care."
Title X, which was enacted in 1970 by President Nixon, has largely enjoyed bipartisan support in its decades-long continuance. The program was appropriated $286.5 million this year, and its recipient clinics serve roughly 4 million people annually.
"It is unfathomable that anyone would want to prevent health care providers from giving their patients accurate medical information and referrals to other safe, quality health care providers," said Rev. Katherine Ragsdale, the interim president and CEO of the National Abortion Federation. "This is another clear sign that President Trump and his administration would rather bow to anti-abortion extremists than ensure that people in America have access to quality health care."
Several other clinics nationwide also decided to withdraw from Title X rather than comply with the government's new policy.
Women's Health in Boulder, Colorado, which opened in 1973 as the state's first abortion clinic, announced its withdrawal last month. The clinic had received $500,000 annually — 20 percent of its budget — from Title X. "We will not compromise our commitment to our patients or our community," Lisa Radelet, the communication director of Women's Health, said in a statement.
The Maine Family Planning clinic announced its withdrawal on Monday, saying in a letter to HHS that it is leaving "more in sorrow than in anger" and that it is "simply wrong to deny" patients accurate information on abortions.
"We do not take this decision lightly. We are proud of what we have accomplished as the state's Title X grantee and we will continue—without Title X funds–to provide high-quality, affordable reproductive health care, comprehensive options counseling, and judgement-free referral for abortion care," the clinic's letter added.
The HHS stressed in its statement that every grantee was given adequate notice of the policy change and given the chance to comply.
"Title X was developed as a safety net to protect those that need protecting," Spurrell said. "When that safety net is taken away, it is terribly concerning."
