Press Release (11/20/08): "Senators Clinton and Murray Move to Protect Women's Health Care"

Senators Propose Bill to Block Dangerous HHS Regulation; Planned Parenthood of New York City Applauds Senator Clinton’s Action

New York, NY — Planned Parenthood of New York City (PPNYC) applauds Senators Hillary Clinton and Patty Murray for their effort to block the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from issuing a midnight regulation that would put women’s access to basic health care in jeopardy with the introduction of the Protecting Patients and Health Care Act. The legislation recognizes that, with this sweeping regulation, HHS exceeded its authority under the statutes it is claiming to interpret.

“Senators Clinton and Murray are true champions of women’s health, and their proposed legislation sends a strong signal to administrative agencies that Congress will not stand by as those agencies try to slip in ill-conceived midnight regulations. We are especially proud that our own Senator Clinton has stepped in on this vital issue,” said Joan Malin, President and CEO of PPNYC. “Her swift action reinforces New York’s legacy as a leader on issues related to women’s health, and we thank her for helping to make New York, and the rest of the country, safer for women.”

This pending health care refusal regulation poses a serious threat to a woman’s ability to trust that she is getting complete and accurate health care information and services. 

The proposed regulation would allow providers, based on their personal biases, to withhold both services and the critical information women need to make fully informed decisions about their health care. HHS submitted its proposed rule in late August 2008, and is in violation of a White House directive to administrative agencies to finalize all proposed regulations by November 1, 2008. During the 30-day public comment period, roughly 200,000 comments were submitted in opposition to this regulation from medical associations, women’s health organizations, members of Congress, state governors and attorneys general, religious leaders, and the general public.

This week, PPFA, the Center for Reproductive Rights, and the American Civil Liberties Union sent a letter to the U.S. Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) at the Office of Management and Budget, urging OIRA to take its responsibilities seriously with respect to HHS. Read the letter here.

In New York, PPNYC has reached out to Speaker Quinn’s office at the New York City Council as well as to other New York State elected officials asking that they lend their voices to this important fight (Click here to read Speaker Quinn’s letter).

For complete information on the regulation, including links to the official comments from elected officials and advocacy organizations, click here.