Breaking the Silence on the “Domestic Gag Rule”.
In May, the Trump-Pence administration published a notice of proposed rule-making, the so-called “Domestic Gag Rule.” The rule forbids doctors and nurses in Title X funded health centers from referring patients for abortion, even if their health is at risk. The rule is designed to block access to preventive care at Planned Parenthood health centers, which serve more than 40% of the four million patients who rely on Title X across the country, but it is important to note that this rule affects ALL Title X providers.
The rule has been published in the federal registrar and is open for public comment through July 31. It’s likely the Administration will try to push this rule through quickly and many health care providers, including Planned Parenthood, hope to delay the process as long as possible. We encourage public health advocates to submit comments to HHS in opposition to the proposed domestic gag rule.
Submit a Public Comment to HHS Secretary Alex Azar
Why should you care?
The administration’s gag rule would have devastating effects for women and those seeking sexual and reproductive health care services.
First, the gag rule would block patients from health care. Planned Parenthood health centers serve 41 percent of patients who get care through Title X-funded health services — yet this rule is designed to bar those patients from coming to Planned Parenthood health centers.
Preventing those patients from coming to Planned Parenthood would mean many are left with nowhere else to go, leaving them without access to birth control, cancer screenings, STD testing and treatment, or even general women’s health exams. But it doesn’t stop there. The gag rule would apply to 4,000 Title X-funded health care providers across the country, including community health centers, hospital-based clinics, and health departments.
Other health care providers have been clear — they couldn’t fill the gap if Planned Parenthood were no longer allowed to serve these patients. Already, in many counties, Planned Parenthood health centers are the only places that provide uninsured people or people with low incomes the reproductive care they need.
This would fall the hardest on people of color. Because of systemic inequities, many patients who rely on Title X for their health care needs are people of color, who already face significant barriers to accessing health care. Black and African Americans make up 21 percent of Title X patients, and Hispanic and Latino patients make up 32 percent. After being blocked from these health centers, including Planned Parenthood, many patients would have nowhere else to go for care.
Take Action: Submit an Official Comment