Catholics for Choice Applauds Biden Administration for Moving to End the Title X Gag Rule
WASHINGTON – Catholics for Choice, which uplifts and amplifies the voices of the majority of Catholics who believe in reproductive freedom, applauded the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services today for releasing new proposed regulations to end the Title X gag rule, reversing a dangerous Trump-era policy that currently prohibits healthcare providers who receive government-funded family planning grants from referring patients for abortion services.
Title X is the only federal program specifically dedicated to providing people with affordable and comprehensive family planning and reproductive care, and the program is targeted to prioritize serving people who are uninsured and/or with low incomes. Because of this, the Title X gag rule is especially harmful to BIPOC; young people; LGBTQ people; and other populations that, due to systemic racism and institutionalized bigotry, are disproportionately likely to make lower wages and lack health insurance. The proposed regulations ending the gag rule will undergo a 30-day public comment period beginning today, and then an additional review process before being finalized.
Catholics for Choice President Jamie L. Manson said:
“The Title X gag rule instituted by former President Trump is unconscionably cruel, cutting off sexual and reproductive health care, including contraception and abortion services, from the vulnerable populations who need it most – even in the midst of a deadly global pandemic. We applaud the Biden-Harris administration for taking the first step toward rectifying this injustice, and we call on them to continue moving as swiftly as possible to restore patients’ access to the full range of sexual and reproductive health services.”
Catholics for Choice shapes and advances sexual and reproductive ethics that are based on justice, reflect a commitment to a person’s well-being and respect, and affirm the capacity of all people to make moral decisions about their lives.