Title X Update

Apr 23, 2019 at 03:46 pm by Staff


Statement attributable to Barbara L. McAneny, M.D., President of the American Medical Association

AMA statement on ruling blocking administration's Title X restrictions

"Judge McShane's ruling is a victory for patients, physicians and the open conversations that are essential to improving health outcomes. In siding with patients and doctors in this case, the judge decisively said the free exchange of medical information is an essential patient right. The AMA will not stand by when the government interferes with the patient-doctor relationship by foisting a gag rule on physicians. Patients trusting their doctors is the foundation of good health, and there must be open communication about health care options."


Statement Attributable to Barbara L. McAneny M.D., President, American Medical Association

Judge Rules in Favor of AMA in Title X Lawsuit

"Judge McShane got it exactly right when he called the new Title X rule a 'ham-fisted' approach to health care. The judge repeatedly asked how the new gag rule would improve health outcomes. The government was unable to answer.

The new rule would have placed obstacles to health care for low-income patients. We are pleased the judge shared the AMA's concern about the physician-patient relationship that the rule would have jeopardized."


Statement from AMA & Planned Parenthood

April 23, 2019 .... Today, the American Medical Association and Planned Parenthood will present oral arguments against the Trump Administration's rule that would decimate the Title X program and limit the medical advice health care providers can give their Title X patients. The hearing on the organizations' request to block the new rule will take place in United States District Court, District of Oregon.

In a filing with the court last Friday, the AMA and Planned Parenthood explained that if the rule were allowed to stand, it "would cause immediate and irreparable harm to patients and providers and would politicize the practice of medicine and delivery of health care." If the rule is not blocked, "Planned Parenthood--which serves 40% of all Title X patients, or more than 1.5 million individuals--will be forced to drop out of Title X rather than comply with a Rule that would harm patients and would force its practitioners to violate their ethical codes."

When the AMA and Planned Parenthood announced this lawsuit on March 5, we made clear that the gag rule "threatens the core of family-planning health care" by interfering with communication about patients' health care options, and sets a dangerous precedent of government interference with the patient-physician relationship. If the rule is not blocked, it would undercut the very purpose of Title X and irreparably harm Title X providers, their patients and the health of the nation.


Statement from AMA President Barbara L. McAneny, MD:

"Patients rely on their physicians to tell them all they need to know to make an informed decision on health care treatment options. The new Title X regulations insert government and politics in personal health choices and that is unacceptable. The AMA will always fight to protect the patient/doctor relationship because the best medical care is provided when doctors and patients have open and honest conversations about their health care options. We urge the court to reject the government overreach so that the 4 million people who depend upon this program each year can continue to have honest, frank, and complete conversations about their reproductive health care options."


Statement from Planned Parenthood Federation of America President Leana Wen, MD :

"STI rates are on the rise in rural communities, and America's maternal mortality rate is worse than it was thirty years ago, yet the Trump-Pence administration has put forward a gag rule that would decimate an extremely successful public health program and put care at risk for millions of people. The Title X gag rule is unethical, illegal, and dangerous. Four million people receive birth control, cancer screenings, STI testing and primary and preventive health services through the Title X program, which serves women and families with low incomes. For many of the people who depend on Title X, this is their only source of health care. The Title X gag rule will worsen existing racial, socioeconomic, and geographical health disparities. We cannot allow a world where people of color, people who live in rural areas, and people with low incomes don't have access to full, unbiased information from their doctor. That's why Planned Parenthood joined the American Medical Association in court today to fight against this dangerous rule. We'll do everything we can to protect our patients, and their access to reproductive health care."

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