The legal landscape continues to shift since the US Supreme Court’s June 24, 2022, ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization overturning Roe v. Wade. Immediately following the ruling, abortion restrictions and prohibitions began to take effect in various states, and the focus of many organizations and attorneys has been focused on legal issues concerning abortion access.
However, the Dobbs decision puts a host of essential rights, including the right to contraception, at significant risk. Additionally, recent administrative law rulings by the Supreme Court are changing the fundamental legal landscape in ways that are already beginning to impact court cases involving Title X and contraception. We see lawsuits challenging Title X’s prohibition on parental consent and cases challenging the ability of the federal government to enforce core provisions of Title X and other federal laws and programs.
Amidst this shifting environment of state restrictions and evolving federal case law concerning sexual and reproductive health, family planning administrators and providers must assess their organizational risks related to the provision of family planning services. To that end, NFPRHA has engaged in a pilot project to connect Title X-funded entities with qualified pro bono legal counsel in the entities’ states. Because this is a pilot, the number of Title X-funded entities that will participate in the project is small.
To help support the Title X network as a whole, as part of this project, NFPRHA is making available various learnings, considerations, and tips to assist publicly funded family planning entities in engaging their own pro bono local legal counsel to help assess and mitigate organizational risk. Risk assessment and mitigation does not include litigation.
Resources
- Considerations and Tips for Family Planning Providers When Entering into Engagement Agreements with Pro Bono Attorneys
- Process for Finding and Securing Qualified Local Pro Bono Legal Counsel