Members of Congress Introduce House, Senate Resolutions Opposing Trump’s Gag Rule

WASHINGTON, DC — Today, Sens. Patty Murray (D-WA) , Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Reps. Diana DeGette, Barbara Lee, Joseph Crowley, Judy Chu, and Nita Lowey introduced resolutions in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate rejecting Trump’s gag rule. Major medical associations, like the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American College of Physicians, and others stand in firm opposition to this rule. These resolutions are a strong statement from pro-women’s health champions reinforcing the importance of protecting the patient-provider relationship.

Trump’s gag rule has already proven to be incredibly unpopular — polling released yesterday from Hart Research Associates shows overwhelming opposition to the Trump-Pence administration’s efforts to take away women’s basic rights and health care. Across the country, 73 percent of Americans oppose administration actions like the domestic gag rule — rules that block access to care for millions of women and violate the trust Americans have in their doctors.

Statement from Dana Singiser, Vice President of Public Policy and Government Affairs, Planned Parenthood Federation of America:

The government should not be in the business of telling doctors what they can and cannot say. These commonsense resolutions boldly claim that all patients will have full and complete medical information and the best care possible. Any member of Congress who believes patients should get the best care and information from their health care provider should support these resolutions. Planned Parenthood applauds Senators Murray, Gillibrand, and Baldwin and Representatives DeGette, Lee, Crowley, Chu, and Lowey for standing up for people’s health and rights

Trump’s nationwide gag rule, released Tuesday night, makes it illegal for doctors, nurses, hospitals, community health centers, and any other provider in the Title X program to tell patients how they can safely and legally access abortion. It would also introduce new rules designed to make it impossible for patients to access birth control at Planned Parenthood health centers across the country.

The domestic gag rule has never gone into effect in the United States before. The Reagan administration did try to implement this in 1988, but the rule was held up in the courts and later retracted by the Clinton administration in 1993 after intense outcry from the medical community, including the American College of Physicians and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Reinstating this rule would prevent millions of people from getting birth control and preventive care at Planned Parenthood health centers. At the same time, it would also force doctors and nurses to withhold information from patients across the country.

Although Planned Parenthood health centers make up only about 13 percent of the Title X health centers, they serve 41 percent of the patients who get care through Title X.  Preventing those patients from coming to Planned Parenthood health centers would mean many are left with nowhere else to turn.

Title X is a decades-old popular and effective program designed to ensure that everyone, no matter where they live, how much money they make, or whether or not they have health insurance, has access to basic preventive reproductive health care like birth control, cancer screenings, STD testing and treatment, and well-woman exams. It has received bipartisan support from Congress since its inception. Every year it serves more than four million people, although many people who get care through the program may not even be aware that they are Title X patients.

The domestic gag rule wouldn’t just affect Planned Parenthood. The rule “gags” any Title X provider from referring for abortion. It would affect every health care provider in the program, from community health centers to hospitals.

Title X serves a racially and ethnically diverse patient base: Out of the four million family planning clients served by Title X, more than one-third are Hispanic or Latino, 13 percent have limited proficiency in English, and at least a third are people of color. Racial or ethnic bias, along with language barriers, can already make health care difficult to access and an attack on Title X will limit health care options even further.  

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Planned Parenthood is the nation’s leading provider and advocate of high-quality, affordable health care for women, men, and young people, as well as the nation’s largest provider of sex education. With more than 600 health centers across the country, Planned Parenthood organizations serve all patients with care and compassion, with respect and without judgment.  Through health centers, programs in schools and communities, and online resources, Planned Parenthood is a trusted source of reliable health information that allows people to make informed health decisions. We do all this because we care passionately about helping people lead healthier lives