Bill Text: NJ AR95 | 2020-2021 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Urges United States Department of Health and Human Services to revoke recent rule changes to federal Title X program.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-02-13 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Health Committee [AR95 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2020-AR95-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman VALERIE VAINIERI HUTTLE
District 37 (Bergen)
SYNOPSIS
Urges United States Department of Health and Human Services to revoke recent rule changes to federal Title X program.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Assembly Resolution urging the United States Department of Health and Human Services to revoke recent rule changes to the federal Title X program.
Whereas, For more than 40 years, family planning clinics funded by the Title X grant program administered by the Office of Population Affairs in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services have played a critical role in ensuring access to a broad range of family planning and related preventive health services for millions of people, including those with low incomes and those who are uninsured; and
Whereas, Title X is the only federal grant program dedicated solely to providing individuals with comprehensive family planning and related preventive health services; and
Whereas, For decades, the Title X program has helped to provide access to reproductive health care including birth control, cancer screenings, and testing and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases; and
Whereas, The Title X program is a safety net for low income, poor and uninsured women, men and adolescents, who might not otherwise have the means to afford family planning and preventative care; and
Whereas, Title X provides funding for nearly 100,000 New Jerseyans to access care each year; and
Whereas, The Trump Administration recently finalized a domestic "gag" rule, prohibiting Title X providers from recommending or referring a patient for abortion services; and
Whereas, This rule violates medical ethics by restricting providers from sharing comprehensive medical information with their patients; and
Whereas, The Title X "gag" rule would make it impossible for patients who rely on Title X to receive care from providers such as Planned Parenthood; and
Whereas, Everyone deserves quality medical care, including access to reproductive health care and family planning services; and
Whereas, As a state, New Jersey has seen firsthand the implications of threatening funding for family planning; and
Whereas, Cuts to state family planning funding led to a 35 percent increase in sexually transmitted infections Statewide between 2009 and 2015; and
Whereas, Politicians should not prevent patients from making an informed decision about their health and their futures; and
Whereas, Affordable family planning helps women to plan for a family on their own terms, giving women control over their futures; and
Whereas, Access to reproductive health care should not depend on the person's income or zip code; and
Whereas, New Jersey supports women's rights and women's health and opposes any attempt to threaten access to reproductive health care; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. This House respectfully opposes efforts by the federal government to undermine the federal Title X program, including the Trump Administration's domestic "gag" rule.
2. This House respectfully urges the United States Department of Health and Human Services to revoke its recent rule changes to the federal Title X program.
3. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly to the President and Vice President of the United States, the Secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, and every member of Congress elected from this State.
STATEMENT
This resolution respectfully opposes efforts by the federal government to undermine the federal Title X program, including the Trump Administration's domestic "gag" rule, and urges the United States Department of Health and Human Services to revoke its recent rule changes to the federal Title X program.
For more than 40 years, family planning clinics funded by the Title X grant program administered by the Office of Population Affairs in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services have played a critical role in ensuring access to a broad range of family planning and related preventive health services for millions of people, including those with low incomes and those who are uninsured. Title X is the only federal grant program dedicated solely to providing individuals with comprehensive family planning and related preventive health services. For decades, the Title X program has helped to provide access to reproductive health care including birth control, cancer screenings, and testing and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases.
Recently, the Trump Administration finalized a domestic "gag" rule, prohibiting Title X providers from recommending or referring a patient for abortion services. This rule violates medical ethics by restricting providers from sharing comprehensive medical information with their patients. The rule would make it impossible for patients who rely on Title X to receive care from providers such as Planned Parenthood.
