For Immediate Release:
Tuesday, May 18, 2021
Contact:
Laura Brewer (919) 716-6484
(RALEIGH) Attorney General Josh Stein commended the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for its proposed rule to undo the Trump administration’s 2019 Title X Rule, which harmed women, people living in rural areas, people of color, and members of the LGBTQ community.
“Title X clinics provide critical health care services that save lives,” said Attorney General Josh Stein. “I’m grateful to HHS for doing away with the previous administration’s harmful restrictions that prevented doctors from sharing information with their patients to enable them to make their own health care decisions and lead healthy lives.”
The Title X program funds critical screenings for cervical and breast cancer, screenings for high blood pressure, anemia, diabetes, and sexually transmitted diseases, and other family planning services. The 2019 Rule led to a dramatic decrease of Title X providers nationwide and as a result, the number of people served by the program dropped by 60 percent from 2018 to 2020. The decrease in providers has most impacted low-income and underserved communities.
HHS’s Proposed Rule would put the Title X program back on track to providing underserved communities with quality and accessible medical care. Title X clinics would be able to share information with patients about their reproductive health care choices and available, high quality providers, and provide referrals to patients so they can get the health care they need.
In their letter, the attorneys general support HHS’s decision to readopt the original Title X regulations that took effect in 2000 and the proposed revisions that would ensure access to equitable, affordable, client-centered, quality family planning services, advance health equity, and reduce barriers to care and health disparities among underserved communities.
Attorney General Stein is joined in sending this comment letter by the Attorneys General of California, New York, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia.
A copy of the comment letter is available here.
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