A panel of federal appeals court judges ruled on Thursday that a Trump administration family planning “gag rule” that could cut as much as $60 million in Title X funds from Planned Parenthood could go into effect immediately.
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar called the decision “a major step toward the Trump administration being able to ensure that all Title X projects . . . do not support abortion as a method of family planning.”
But Leana Wen, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, called the news “devastating” for the millions of women who rely on Title X for services such as cancer screenings, HIV tests and birth control, and said the organization would immediately appeal.
“Planned Parenthood will not let the government censor our doctors and nurses from informing patients where and how they can access health care,” she said.
The new rule would make clinics ineligible to receive funds if they provide or refer for abortions. Department of Health and Human Services officials have said the rule is necessary because, in the words of deputy assistant secretary Diane Foley speaking on Capitol Hill this week, of “grave concerns” that taxpayer money was going towards abortions which is not legal.
 (c) 2019, The Washington Post · Ariana Eunjung Cha  
{Matzav.com}