June 27, 2019 Press Release

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
06.27.19

Contact: Alexa Barrett, Communications Assistant
Email: alexa@equityfwd.org
Phone: (914) 602-3147

As “Gag Rule” Filing Deadline Nears, Admin Fails to Justify Need for Historic Overreach 

New York, NY – By today at 5 p.m. PST, the Trump administration must respond to several emergency motions seeking to halt the administration’s “gag rule,” which bars medical professionals receiving funding under Title X from referring patients for abortion.

The Trump administration claims that this rule is necessary to ensure that public funds do not support abortion. 

But despite this claim, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has offered no real evidence of any alleged “commingling” between Title X funds and separate funding for abortion services.

At an Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee of the Committee on Energy and Commerce hearing last week, Diane Foley, the Trump administration official overseeing the program, was repeatedly asked by members for evidence of Title X funds being improperly “commingled” to fund abortion. 

  • “What I’m hearing from you is that there’s no evidence that you’re aware of that Title X money is being used to provide abortions as a method of birth control,” said Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO).

  • “I don’t see any evidence that this is actually happening — that there actually is commingling of resources,” said Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ).

  • Rep. Pallone went on to ask if there have been any formal OIG audits that HHS could point to about “commingling.” Foley replied, “There were not. Not that I am aware of.

“Without any evidence to back up HHS’ claims, this rule is clearly a solution in search of a problem. There has not been an OIG report, a serious study nor any hard evidence of Title X funds going toward abortions” said Michelle Kuppersmith, director of Equity Forward. “The Trump administration is denying care to millions of people without any evidence to support the rule, and is continuing its overreach by taking away women’s rights.”

For more information on HHS’ campaign to undermine the Title X program, please see our full report.

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Equity Forward is a watchdog organization that works to ensure transparency and accountability among anti-reproductive health groups and individuals.