According to the new proposed rule by the Department of Health and Human Services, the recipients of Title X federal funding for family planning would be banned from excluding potential funding recipients “for reasons unrelated to its ability to provide services effectively.” This newly proposed rule is meant to stop states from denying funds to abortion providers.
HHS commented on the proposed rule by stating that, “since 2011, 13 states have taken actions to restrict participation by certain types of providers as sub-recipients in the Title X program based on factors unrelated to the providers’ ability to provide the services required under Title X effectively.”
“In at least several instances, this has led to disruption of services or reduction of services,” the department claimed. HHS also gave several examples where states such as Texas and Florida attempted to defund abortion providers. “Data show that restricting specific providers of Title X services has harmful effects on access to family planning services and is linked with increased pregnancy rates that are not in line with population-wide trends,” HHS added.
The studies in the HHS document revealed that the actions of states that excluded specific family planning providers resulted in “reduced use of highly effective methods of contraception and corresponding increases in rates of childbirth among populations that rely on federally supported care.” HHS also commented that, “none of these state restrictions are related to the sub-recipients’ ability to effectively deliver Title X services.”
Representative Diane Black issued a statement in response to this proposed law, in which she said, “This latest stunt from President Obama’s Department of Health and Human Services should surprise absolutely no one. We’ve known all along that the Obama Administration will go to untold lengths to protect its friends in the big abortion industry.”
She argued by stating that, “Now, they have taken the unprecedented step of thwarting states’ rights with a shady proposed rule change that prevents states from funding the providers who will best serve their citizens.”
“In the coming days, I intend to lead a letter expressing the deep concerns of Members of Congress on this proposal, but we won’t stop there. We must use the full force of Congress and the grassroots strength of the national pro-life movement to defeat this absurd rule and prevent the Obama Administration from acting unilaterally to carry out political favors and prop up a scandal-ridden abortion provider,” Black added.