FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 22, 2019
Contact: Audrey Sandusky, 202-344-5805, asandusky@nfprha.org

Newly Issued Family Planning Rule Poses a Serious Public Health Challenge

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the US Department of Health and Human Services posted an unofficial final rule that will undermine the mission of the Title X family planning program, discourage highly qualified and trusted family planning providers from participating in the program, and hinder millions of people from accessing high-quality family planning care. The updated draft rule now available on the Office of Population Affairs website is not the final rule to be officially published in the Federal Register.

The following is a statement from Clare Coleman, President & CEO of the National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association, a national organization representing publicly funded family planning providers and administrators.

“The administration’s action will do irreparable harm to the public’s health and damage the network of highly qualified family planning providers across the country.

“In the Title X family planning program, patients’ values and unique health care needs come first. This rule intentionally strikes at the heart of the patient-provider relationship, inserting political ideology into a family planning visit, which will frustrate providers and discourage patients from seeking the health care they need.

“This rule jeopardizes the foundation that our nation’s family planning providers have built and sustained for nearly 50 years. This clear attack on the family planning safety net could result in lower quality care or none at all for people struggling to make ends meet. If the official published rule is as damaging as today's draft final rule, NFPRHA will be prepared to challenge the Trump administration to protect the family planning safety net for the millions of people who rely on it.”

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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.