Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Trump Administration Backtracks On Immediately Enforcing Changes To Family Planning Funding
The Washington Post: Trump Administration Delays Ban On Abortion Referrals At Family Planning Centers
The Trump administration has backtracked on an announcement five days earlier that had required federal funded family planning centers to immediately stop referring women for abortions, giving the clinics two more months to comply. In a rare Saturday night notice to Planned Parenthood affiliates, state governments and other organizations that receive federal family planning grants, Health and Human Services Department officials wrote that no group would be penalized yet for failing to obey with this and other rule changes. (Goldstein, 7/20)
The Associated Press: Administration Pauses Enforcement Of Abortion Restriction
A notice sent Saturday night to representatives of the clinics by the Department of Health and Human Services said the government "does not intend to bring enforcement actions" against clinics that are making "good-faith efforts to comply." A copy of the notice, which includes a new timetable for the clinics, was provided to The Associated Press. The department had said last Monday that it would require immediate compliance. That caught clinics off guard and led Planned Parenthood and other providers to say they would defy the order. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 7/21)
Reuters: Trump Administration Pauses New Rule Limiting Abortion Referrals: Report
The rule was intended to help Trump fulfill his 2016 campaign pledge to end federal support for Planned Parenthood, a non-profit group that runs about 600 healthcare clinics around the country and receives an estimated one-fifth of all Title X funds. Planned Parenthood has condemned the rule, saying it silences doctors and nurses and would harm their patients' health. (7/21)
VICE News: Trump Administration Just Gave Clinics Until September To Prove They’re Not Referring Women For Abortions
Under the Trump administration’s changed rules, clinics must also must now financially separate any services that may involve abortion from those that don’t — a move that, Trump officials say, ensures that no funds intermingle and preserves the “integrity” of Title X’s family planning mission. “It will absolutely change the way in which services are delivered across communities in this country,” said one Title X grant recipient, who asked to remain anonymous. (Sherman, 7/21)
NPR: Some Title X Recipients Will Have More Time To Comply With New Rules
NPR's Sarah McCammon reported that Planned Parenthood is refusing to comply with what critics call a "gag rule." "It is unethical and dangerous to require health care providers to withhold important information from patients," Jacqueline Ayers, vice president of Government Relations & Public Policy at Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said. "During this period of limbo while we wait for the court to rule, our affiliates are not using federal Title X funds to provide care. We are continuing to fight this illegal rule in court and to provide care to all people — no matter what." (Van Sant, 7/21)
In other news on abortion —
The Wall Street Journal: Abortion Rulings In Alaska Prompt Governor To Cut Court Funding
Alaska’s American Civil Liberties Union chapter is suing Gov. Mike Dunleavy after he said he would cut funding for the state’s Supreme Court in retaliation to abortion-related rulings. In a line-item veto, Mr. Dunleavy cut nearly $335,000 in funding for Alaska’s court system, which the Republican’s office said was the same amount the state pays annually to cover elective abortions under its Medicaid program. In February, the Alaska Supreme Court upheld a 2001 decision that prevented restrictions on Medicaid funding for abortions. (Millman, 7/19)
