Senator Murray Releases New Report Detailing Harm to Washington State Under Trump-Pence Proposed Restrictions to Family Planning Funds

Following press call with experts and advocates, Senator Murray released a new report showing the harmful impact Title X restrictions would have on family planning services and women’s health in Washington state 

In one year, Washington state’s Title-X funded providers delivered contraceptive care to more than 80,000 patients in Washington state 

Senator Murray: “Let’s be clear: this rule isn’t about improving women’s health. Not one bit. It’s about putting Vice President Pence’s extreme beliefs in the doctor’s office—where they simply have no place—and about trying to make women’s health care choices for them.” 

Senator Murray: “… at the end of the day, a woman’s ability to make the health care choices that are right for her is fundamental to her economic security, her independence, and her ability to shape her own future.” 

Senator Murray: “The President and Vice President don’t get to make those decisions—and they should know that as hard as they try to take it away—women across the country are going to fight back and stand up for that hard-won freedom, and I and Democrats will be right there with them.

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), top Democrat on the Senate health committee, Senator Tina Smith (D-MN), and advocates and experts at Planned Parenthood, the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association, and the Guttmacher Institute held a press call to discuss the Trump-Pence Administration’s latest step to undermine women’s access to health care by restricting Title X family planning funds.

Following the call, Senator Murray released a new report with data showing how the Administration’s proposed domestic gag rule would impact women and patients in Washington state.

Findings include:

• In 2015, there were 64 Title X-funded sites operated by different types of agencies in Washington State
• In 2015, Title X-funded sites delivered contraceptive care to 82,520 women in Washington State
• In 2015, 80 percent of women who received contraceptive care from a Title X-funded provider in Washington State were served by Planned Parenthood
• If Planned Parenthood were excluded from Title X, all other types of Title X-funded sites in Washington State would have to increase their contraceptive client caseloads by 406 percent to serve the women who currently obtain contraceptive care from Planned Parenthood health centers

For more about how changes to Title X would impact families in Washington state, see the full report HERE.

See links below for reports on all 50 states:

Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming. 

Key excerpts from Senator Murray’s remarks:

“This week, President Trump and Vice President Pence launched one of their most blatant, extreme, and harmful attacks yet on women’s reproductive health. They announced something that has never been implemented before in the United States—a gag on doctors and providers who receive federal family planning funding through the Title X program.”

“Let’s be clear: this rule isn’t about improving women’s health. Not one bit. It’s about putting Vice President Pence’s extreme beliefs in the doctor’s office—where they simply have no place—and about trying to make women’s health care choices for them. But that’s not something I’m going to accept, and I know women across the country aren’t going to accept it either, because at the end of the day, a woman’s ability to make the health care choices that are right for her is fundamental to her economic security, her independence, and her ability to shape her own future.”

“The President and Vice President don’t get to make those decisions—and they should know that as hard as they try to take it away—women across the country are going to fight back and stand up for that hard-won freedom, and I and Democrats will be right there with them.”

Senator Murray’s full remarks, as prepared for delivery:

“This week, President Trump and Vice President Pence launched one of their most blatant, extreme, and harmful attacks yet on women’s reproductive health. They announced something that has never been implemented before in the United States—a gag on doctors and providers who receive federal family planning funding through the Title X program.

“This gag rule is intended to prevent women from making the choices that are right for them and to take funding away from Planned Parenthood, which serves one in four patients nationwide who get care from Title X-funded providers.

“I want to take a few minutes to describe just what this gag rule would mean for women and families in my home state of Washington. In my state, health care providers funded by Title X delivered contraceptive care to more than 80,000 patients in one year alone. The vast majority of these patients got care at a Planned Parenthood center.

“If Planned Parenthood were denied federal family planning funds as President Trump and Vice President Pence plan to do, other community health centers that are already stretched too thin—and that do not specialize in women’s health—would have to absorb tens of thousands more patients. That’s harmful for women—harmful for any patient who struggles to find access to quality, affordable care—and it’s completely unnecessary.

“Let’s be clear: this rule isn’t about improving women’s health. Not one bit. It’s about putting Vice President Pence’s extreme beliefs in the doctor’s office—where they simply have no place—and about trying to make women’s health care choices for them. But that’s not something I’m going to accept, and I know women across the country aren’t going to accept it either, because at the end of the day, a woman’s ability to make the health care choices that are right for her is fundamental to her economic security, her independence, and her ability to shape her own future.

“The President and Vice President don’t get to make those decisions—and they should know that as hard as they try to take it away—women across the country are going to fight back and stand up for that hard-won freedom, and I and Democrats will be right there with them.

“Thank you and now I’m honored to turn it over to Senator Smith.”