Analysis, Commentary, Health and Fitness

Trump-Pence Domestic Gag Rule Would Deny Millions of Women Access to Health Care and the Ability to Make Medically Informed Decisions


Medical procedures
A procedure room is seen at Whole Woman’s Health of San Antonio on February 9, 2016. (AP/Eric Gay)
Washington, D.C. —(ENEWSPF)—May 24, 2018
By: Jamila Taylor

Last night, the Trump administration issued a proposed rule that viciously targets Title X providers, including Planned Parenthood and the millions of women served by the program. Jamila Taylor, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, issued the following statement following the proposed rule’s publication:

The proposed rule just issued by the Trump-Pence administration would decimate the Title X program as we know it. Used as a political tool to embolden anti-choice extremists, the proposed rule would impose unethical restrictions on Title X providers by prohibiting discussion of abortion as an option for pregnant women; denying women abortion counseling or referral, even if specifically requested by their Title X provider; and prioritizing funding and support for fake women’s health clinics and similar organizations that deceive women with biased, ideologically driven information about their pregnancy-related options. It’s unconscionable, yet not surprising, that this administration would deny women the ability to make informed choices about their health and family.

The rule would also require complete physical and financial separation of any abortion-related care or activity, despite the fact that those activities are required by current law to be funded with private, nonfederal funds. This means that women who rely on a Title X provider for lifesaving screenings, affordable birth control, and other basic health care services could have their access to care disrupted.

This rule would be particularly harmful to the millions of low-income women and women of color served by Title X programs each year. Many of these women already experience barriers to accessing comprehensive family planning and reproductive health services and are disproportionately affected by reproductive health disparities. Make no mistake, women will continue to make their voices heard and fight this administration with every effort to roll back their reproductive health, rights, and justice.

Related resources:

The Threat to Title X Family Planning” by Kiersten Gillette-Pierce and Jamila Taylor

The Pillars of Equity” by Heidi Williamson, Kate Bahn, and Jamila Taylor

Linking Reproductive Health Care Access to Labor Market Opportunities for Women” by Kate Bahn, Adriana Kugler, Melissa Mahoney, Danielle Corley, and Annie McGrew

Source: www.americanprogress.org


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