FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 18, 2019
Contact: Audrey Sandusky, 202-344-5805, asandusky@nfprha.org

District Court Hears Oral Argument in NFPRHA’s Health Care Refusal Rule Case

New York, NY – Today, Judge [Paul A.] Engelmayer in the Southern District of New York heard oral argument in the lawsuit brought by the National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association (NFPRHA), represented by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), with Public Health Solutions, a NFPRHA member in New York, against the Trump administration’s health care refusal rule. The regulation, finalized in May, would significantly expand the ability of health care providers to withhold treatment, counseling, or medical information based on their religious or moral beliefs—without any regard for the needs of patients. The following is a statement from Clare Coleman, President & CEO, NFPRHA:

“The Trump administration’s health care refusal rule poses a severe risk to the health of millions of people across the country, and erodes the integrity of key HHS programs, including the Title X family planning program. We cannot allow providers and other personnel to use personal religious or moral beliefs to prevent patients from getting essential health care services and information. Yet the rule would give employees in certain federally funded programs carte blanche to refuse to perform core aspects of their job, including denying patients the care they need, without any recourse for their employer.

“We are encouraged by the leadership shown by nearly two-dozen states’ attorneys general, including New York Attorney General, Letitia James, in amplifying our call to block the refusal of care rule from taking effect next month.

“We will continue to fight to prioritize patients’ need for high-quality medical care over individuals’ personal religious or moral beliefs.”

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NFPRHA is a membership organization representing publicly funded family planning providers and administrators nationwide. NFPRHA advances and elevates the importance of family planning in the nation’s health care system and promotes and supports the work of family planning providers and administrators, especially those in the safety net. For more information, visit nationalfamilyplanning.org.