Attorney General Josh Kaul joined forces with 20 other Democratic state Attorney Generals in a lawsuit challenging the Trump Administration’s final changes to the Title X rule Tuesday.
The Trump administration’s “Final Rule” proposal would change the Title X family planning program by limiting options presented to patients by healthcare providers and removing funding for abortion-providing clinics.
“The Trump Administration’s new rules would make it harder for thousands of Wisconsinites to access the critical family planning and preventative health services our Title X clinics provide every year,” Gov. Tony Evers said in support of Kaul’s participation in the lawsuit.
Finalized March 4, the Final Rule seeks to limit Title X healthcare providers by restricting their ability to offer neutral counseling to pregnant patients about all of their options.
Currently, Title X providers are required to offer referrals for other healthcare services upon the patient’s request. With the potential initiation of the Final Rule, health care providers would have the option to decline patient referral to abortion providers.
The Final Rule would also require Title X providers to physically and financially separate themselves from all facilities related to abortions in any way.
Title X is currently the only federal grant program that provides support for family planning and preventative health services to low-income individuals. These services include access to contraception, breast and cervical cancer screenings, treatment for sexually transmitted infections and more.
According to data collected by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, there were about 12,000 patients served by clinics held Title X status last year. According to the lawsuit, Title X is not and has never been used to fund abortions in Wisconsin.
“If the new rules for the Title X program aren’t blocked, quality health care will become less accessible,” Kaul said.
In addition to the lawsuit brought by the 21 Attorney Generals, the Final Rule is facing a parallel lawsuit from Planned Parenthood and the American Medical Association.
Tanya Atkinson, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Wisconsin, called President Trump’s change a “gag rule” in a press release.
“It is unethical to withhold information from patients, and the gag rule would force Planned Parenthood out of the program,” Atkinson said. “We applaud Attorney General Josh Kaul and Governor Tony Evers for taking a stand on women’s health and opposing the dangerous Title X gag rule.”
The Title X grant program is still operating without the Trump Administration’s final rules, despite the fact that some of the new guidelines were initially proposed in June 2018. The lawsuit will attempt to block further changes.
state news writer
