Statement from Oregon Governor Kate Brown and Oregon Attorney General Rosenblum on today’s adverse decision by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals en banc panel that upholds the Trump Administration’s Title X “Gag Rule”. Last year, 21 State Attorneys General, led by Oregon and New York, sued the Trump Administration to prevent the rule from going into effect.
“Today’s decision by the Ninth Circuit in the national Title X Gag Rule case is disappointing—but our fight to keep abortion access legal and safe will continue. The grant funds at the heart of this program are a safety net for low income women and families in all Oregon counties. I am proud that Oregon took a lead role in this important lawsuit, and we are discussing our next steps with the other 20 states that joined us, as well as our partner organizations, the American Medical Association and Planned Parenthood, who worked valiantly with us side-by-side on this challenge to a rule we all opposed,” said Attorney General Rosenblum. “As for what happens next in Oregon, today’s ruling is a reminder that we cannot stop fighting for the legal and health care rights of all Oregonians, particularly our most vulnerable who turn to family planning clinics for some of their most basic health needs.”
"With this ruling, the Ninth Circuit would allow the Trump Administration to deprive Oregon women and families of access to the family planning, reproductive, and preventative health care services they need to make critical decisions about their own health,” said Governor Brown. “Yet again, this administration has put the federal government where it doesn’t belong — between women and their doctors. Health professionals have been clear: this will especially hurt low-income women and families. It will result in less early breast cancer detections, less screenings for cervical cancer, less testing for HIV, and less access to contraceptive services. While today’s ruling is a setback, we will continue to fight for the family planning and reproductive rights of all Oregonians."
Title X is the only federal grant program that funds family planning programs to help families access contraception, cancer screenings, exams and other health services. The Trump Administration changed the Title X program to place an unlawful restriction, or “gag”, on health care professionals to prohibit them from, in most instances, providing information or referrals for abortion services.
