ACLU Statement on Biden Administration Proposed Title X Rule

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration proposed a new federal rule to restore the Title X family planning program, which had been gutted under the Trump presidency.

The new rule would end the Trump policy that prohibited family planning clinics from providing Title X patients with referrals for abortion care, as well as other onerous requirements that resulted in the widespread loss of critical Title X providers, including in six states which currently have no Title X clinic. Today’s rule, if finalized, will help to restore the 50-year old family planning program — which previously served as the source of affordable birth control, cancer screenings, STI testing and treatment, and other essential preventive health care for more than 4 million people every year.

“We are pleased to see the Biden administration move to restore the Title X program, which for decades has ensured access to affordable reproductive health care to patients who would otherwise go without.” said Georgeanne Usova, senior legislative counsel at the ACLU. “The Trump policy gutted this critical safety net program, devastating access to care for people with low incomes and disproportionately harming people of color. These communities have historically made up the majority of Title X patients and are also more likely to face the worst health and economic impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic. We look forward to seeing all family planning clinics once again able to provide the essential care their patients rely on.”

The ACLU sued the Trump administration over the Title X rule in 2019 on behalf of the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association, whose membership make up family planning providers and clinics across the country. In anticipation of this new rule, the parties to that litigation have filed a stipulation of dismissal with the Supreme Court and are awaiting the court’s action to dismiss.