Senate Rejects Effort to Reinstate Title X Gag Rule, Which Would Have Risked Access to Affordable Birth Control and Reproductive Health Care for Millions
For Immediate Release: April 27, 2022
Washington, D.C. — Today, Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) led an effort to pass a resolution he introduced with 36 other cosponsors and ultimately supported by 49 senators, in an attempt to overturn a Biden administration Title X regulation and reinstate the 2019 gag rule imposed by the Trump administration. The gag rule cut off millions of people from Title X supported family planning services. The resolution failed with bipartisan opposition.
Title X is the nation’s only federal program dedicated to providing affordable birth control and other sexual and reproductive health care to people with low incomes. This program funds essential health care services such as birth control counseling and methods, STI testing and treatment, breast and cervical cancer screenings, pre-pregnancy care, and more.
Statement from Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO, Planned Parenthood Federation of America:
“Today’s legislative effort on the Senate floor is a reminder that attacks on sexual and reproductive health programs extend beyond the fight for abortion access. Blocking access to affordable birth control, STI testing and treatment, breast and cervical cancer screenings, pre-pregnancy care poses a significant risk to patients’ lives. Planned Parenthood will continue our fight to provide sexual and reproductive health care for everyone who needs it, and we are grateful to the sexual and reproductive health champions in the Senate who helped reject this effort to deny people basic health care.”
Created with bipartisan support more than 50 years ago, Title X is a lifeline for patients with low incomes who often cannot access health care anywhere else. In 2019, the previous presidential administration implemented a domestic gag rule to prohibit Title X providers from referring patients for abortion. The gag rule slashed the Title X network’s patient capacity in half, which created even greater barriers to affordable health care for people with low incomes. As a result of the harmful rule, Planned Parenthood health centers and other providers were forced out of the program. Prior to the gag rule, Planned Parenthood health centers annually served about 40% of patients who relied on Title X funding. In 2018, 4 million patients received care through the program, and 1.6 million of them visited Planned Parenthood for health services.
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Planned Parenthood is the nation’s leading provider and advocate of high-quality, affordable sexual and reproductive health care, as well as the nation’s largest provider of sex education. With more than 600 health centers across the country, Planned Parenthood organizations serve all patients with care and compassion, with respect and without judgment. Through health centers, programs in schools and communities, and online resources, Planned Parenthood is a trusted source of reliable health information that allows people to make informed health decisions. We do all this because we care passionately about helping people lead healthier lives.