Senator Murray on Reversal of Trump’s Title X Gag Rule: An “Important Victory” for Millions of Patients

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement on the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) final rule on Title X. The new rule for the family planning program, which was first proposed on April 14, reverses the Trump Administration’s harmful gag rule prohibiting providers who receive Title X funds from informing patients about the full range of reproductive health care options, including abortion. The rule follows efforts led by Senator Murray urging HHS to finalize the rule as quickly as possible.

The Trump Administration’s gag rule slashed the Title X-funded health care network’s capacity in half, compromising the health care of millions patients nationwide—disproportionately women of color—who rely on Title X health centers for reproductive health care.  

“After years of fighting back against the Trump Administration’s cruel gag rule, I’m so relieved that today it’s finally gone. Now, our Title X family planning program can once again function in the way it’s meant to—by providing patients with birth control, STI screenings, and cancer screenings that keep them healthy, and by informing them about all their options, including their right to abortion. This new rule will make all the difference for millions of patients across the country, who will once again be able to get the reproductive health care they need from the providers they trust, including Planned Parenthood.

“This is an important victory, but with reproductive rights under attack across the country and at the Supreme Court, our fight doesn’t stop here. I’ll keep doing everything I can to ensure that everyone—no matter their zip-code, their income, or where they get their care—can get the reproductive health care they need.”

Senator Murray has consistently fought to strengthen and preserve the Title X program, and has been a vocal critic of the Trump Administration’s Title X gag rule and other efforts to undermine reproductive health care. Early in 2019, Senator Murray released a memo highlighting some of the negative impacts of the rule and comments from patients, providers, city and county officials, and religious organizations submitted in opposition.

###