Baltimore City’s mayor and health commissioner were joined by the full force of the local Congressional delegation today in denouncing a move by the Trump administration which takes aim at health centers across the U.S. that perform abortions.
In May, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued proposed changes to the Title X Family Planning Program that would prevent funding from going to any health centers that perform abortions or are affiliated with those that do. The new rules would also prohibit providers from referring pregnant women to such centers, or even discussing them. The move is in line with the Republican Trump administration’s “pro-life,” anti-abortion views.
Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen, spoke on the issue at a health center in Druid Hill Monday morning, saying the proposed changes would put the health of millions of women nationwide — including more than 17,000 in Baltimore — in jeopardy. Wen said historically, Title X has been a major contributor to decreases in unintended teen pregnancy, including in Baltimore where teen birth rates decreased 61 percent between 2000 and 2016.
The health department has already taken on the Trump administration in court, after federal funding for Baltimore’s Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program was abruptly slashed. Wen said the health department would continue to “do everything to protect the health and well being of city residents.” She said if it becomes necessary, litigation may be considered for this funding issue as well.
“If the goal is to reduce unintended pregnancy and the need for abortions, why would the Trump administration take away funding for family planning and evidence-based contraception options?” Wen said. “It just doesn’t make any sense.”
Wen was joined in support Monday by Baltimore City Mayor Catherine E. Pugh, Sen. Ben Cardin, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, Rep. Elijah Cummings, Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger, Rep. John Sarbanes, all Democrats, as well as several city doctors, nurses and other health care workers. She said the presence of so many health and government representatives demonstrated the significance of this issue and the overwhelming local support for women’s health initiatives.
The Title X program serves four million Americans a year, and is the only federal program focused on family planning and reproductive health and screening services. Baltimore’s health department oversees Title X funding for the city, which is distributed to 23 clinics run by the health department, Baltimore Medical System, Family Health Centers of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Planned Parenthood and University of Maryland Medical System.
According to the health department, one in three women in Baltimore is in need of publicly-funded health care services to access contraception. Title X funding supports clinics that provide reproductive health services and contraception, as well as cancer screenings, HIV testing, counseling, substance use and mental health screenings, and more.
Wen said rolling back funding for Title X would most affect the low-income women who are already the most vulnerable in terms of overall health. She also criticized the “gag rule” that would not allow health care providers to discuss or make referrals to certain reproductive health centers, and pointed to a less-politicized analogy to explain her view as a medical professional.
“Can you imagine if you had diabetes, going to your doctor and asking for insulin, and they can’t prescribe it and can’t even talk about it?,” Wen said. “That’s what’s happening with this gag rule, as it applies to women in need of reproductive health services.”
Cardin said the HHS move represents a “a continuation of [the Trump administration’s] attempts to limit women’s health and reproductive rights,” a view echoed by Cummings.
“The changes made by this proposed rule would greatly impede women’s access to family planning resources and ensure that low-income women have fewer health care providers to rely upon for comprehensive, quality reproductive care,” Cummings said. “The Trump administration is trying to insert itself into one of the most intimate conversations between a patient and health care provider.”
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