FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 1, 2017
Contact: Audrey Sandusky, (202) 344-5805, asandusky@nfprha.org 

White House Pick to Oversee Title X Program Raises Serious Concerns

WASHINGTON, DC – On behalf of the network of publicly funded family planning providers and administrators dedicated to ensuring high-quality family planning education and care for all, the National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association (NFPRHA) urges caution over the appointment of Teresa Manning as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Population Affairs (DASPA), the lead political appointee position that oversees the Title X family planning program.

Manning, who received her law degree from the University of Iowa, previously served as a former lobbyist with the National Right to Life Committee as well as a legislative analyst for the Family Research Council. 

“Our expectation for any DASPA is to serve as the lead champion for Title X, helping ensure that all stakeholders – colleagues in the administration, Congress, and the millions of individuals in communities who indirectly or directly benefit from the program’s existence – understand and support Title X as a bedrock public health program. Underpinning the program’s more than four decades of success is its diverse service delivery network designed by communities – not elected officials - to best meet the unique preventive health care needs of those communities. We expect that fundamental principle be upheld,” said Clare Coleman, President & CEO of NFPRHA. “Given Ms. Manning’s professional history, we have serious concerns about her vision for the family planning safety net and the millions of people who rely on it for care every year.”

The Office of Population Affairs, within the Department of Health and Human Services, administers the Title X program, which currently provides family planning and other preventive health care services to an estimated four million low-income, uninsured, and underinsured individuals and families each year who would otherwise lack access to care.

“We are willing to partner with anyone in the administration to strengthen and protect the family planning safety net and look forward to working with Ms. Manning to support and strengthen the Title X family planning community,” said Coleman.

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NFPRHA is a membership organization representing providers and administrators committed to helping people get the family planning education and care they need to make the best choices for themselves and their loved ones. NFPRHA works to enhance the ability of thousands of nurse practitioners, doctors, and other health professionals to provide high-quality family planning care through training and advocacy. For more information, visit nationalfamilyplanning.org.