Senator Murray Calls On Colleagues to Stand Up for Women’s Health as Trump-Pence Administration’s Gag Rule Undermines Care for Millions

Murray: “It’s time for every elected official to make clear whether they will join us to stop President Trump and Vice President Pence from attacking women’s health or whether they will join them in putting ideology ahead of patients’ wellbeing.” 

Trump-Pence Administration’s gag rule undermines bipartisan Title X program which has helped 4 million patients a year get health care—disproportionately young people, women who have low incomes, and women of color

Gag rule prevents Title X-funded providers from informing patients about their full range of reproductive care options, including where to access safe, legal abortion

Gag rule forced Planned Parenthood, which sees 2 out of 5 patients receiving Title X care, out of the program

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, issued the following statement in response to news that Planned Parenthood had been forced out of the Title X family planning program by the Trump-Pence Administration’s gag rule.

“Today we’re seeing one of the most stark and damaging impacts President Trump and Vice President Pence have had on women’s health care since day one of their administration. I stand with Planned Parenthood and the millions of people across the country they provide care for each year—as should everyone who cares about access to birth control, STI screenings, cancer screenings, or substance use treatment, or a woman’s right to know about her full range of reproductive health care options. It’s time for every elected official to make clear whether they will join us to stop President Trump and Vice President Pence from attacking women’s health or whether they will join them in putting ideology ahead of patients’ wellbeing.”

The Trump-Pence Administration’s gag rule bars health providers at the nearly 4,000 health centers receiving Title X funding from informing patients about the full range of reproductive health care options available to them, including safe, legal abortion. The rule also shut out Planned Parenthood by imposing new, medically unnecessary requirements on Title X-funded health centers and will make health care less accessible for the four million patients who rely on Title X health centers for basic health care services like birth control, STI screenings, cancer screenings, and more.

Senator Murray has been a constant critic of the Trump Administration’s Title X gag rule, and worked tirelessly to shine a spotlight on how it threatens women’s health. Earlier this year 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. Last year she also released reports for all 50 states outlining the potential harm of a gag rule.