Senator Murray Statement on Proposed Title X Rule to Reverse the Trump Administration’s Harmful Gag Rule

Senator Murray: “Since day one, I’ve fought against the Trump Administration’s disastrous Title X gag rule—which has made it harder, if not impossible, for millions of patients—in particular women of color and women with low incomes—to get critical health care.”

Senator Murray: “I’m incredibly relieved that Secretary Becerra and the Biden Administration are acting to reverse the gag rule once and for all, commit to health equity, and ensure that patients can get the care they need—including birth control, cancer screenings, and more—from the providers that they trust.”

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement in response to Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra’s announcement of a new proposed rule for the Title X family planning program which would reverse the Trump Administration’s harmful rule prohibiting providers who receive Title X funds from informing patients about the full range of reproductive health care options available to them, including abortion.

The Trump Administration’s gag rule slashed the Title X-funded health care network’s capacity in half, compromising the health care of millions patients nationwide—disproportionately women of color—who rely on Title X health centers for birth control, STI screenings, cancer screenings, and more.

“Since day one, I’ve fought against the Trump Administration’s disastrous Title X gag rule—which has made it harder, if not impossible, for millions of patients—in particular women of color and women with low incomes—to get critical health care. I’m incredibly relieved that Secretary Becerra and the Biden Administration are acting to reverse the gag rule once and for all, commit to health equity, and ensure that patients can get the care they need—including birth control, cancer screenings, and more—from the providers that they trust.

“This proposed rule marks a critical step forward in undoing the Trump Administration’s brazen efforts to undermine women’s access to health care, including the constitutionally-protected right to an abortion. I look forward to working the Biden Administration to ensure that everyone—no matter their zip-code, their income, or where they get their health care—can get the reproductive health care they need.”

Senator Murray has consistently fought to strengthen and preserve the Title X program, and has been a vocal critic of the Trump Administration’s Title X gag rule and other efforts to undermine reproductive health care. Early in 2019, Senator Murray released a memo highlighting some of the negative impacts of the rule and comments from patients, providers, city and county officials, and religious organizations submitted in opposition. In 2018, she also released reports for all 50 states outlining the potential harm of a gag rule.

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