Critics of the Trump administration action say it will amount to a "domestic gag rule" — prohibiting health care providers from mentioning abortion in the exam room.

| Fibonacci Blue Trump to target Planned Parenthood with new abortion curbs

The Trump administration is expected to announce soon that it will dramatically change the federal family planning program to prohibit health care providers who accept the funds from making referrals for abortion — a step that could effectively cut off millions of dollars to Planned Parenthood.

The changes to the Title X program, which are expected to be announced in new regulations, would mark the Trump administration’s latest win for social conservatives who are looking to prohibit access to abortion.


Health care providers who accept Title X funding would be banned from making abortion referrals for their patients and would not be allowed to perform abortions — regardless of the funding source — at the same facilities that provide Title X services. The new proposed rule “would ensure that taxpayers do not indirectly fund abortions,” the White House said in a statement Friday evening.

Conservatives hail the changes as the "defunding" of Planned Parenthood because the organization is a prominent recipient of Title X money, receiving $50 million to $60 million per year through the $286 million program, which provides birth control and health screenings, among other services. Federal funding cannot be used to provide abortions.

Critics of the new policy say it will amount to a "domestic gag rule" — prohibiting health care providers from being able to fully counsel their patients without government interference.

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“This ‘gag rule’ is not only unconscionable, but it undermines medical ethics by forcing health care professionals to withhold accurate and timely medical information from patients,” said Jenn Conti, a fellow with Physicians for Reproductive Health. “If I can’t mention the word ‘abortion,’ then I am not providing my pregnant patients who want to know all of their options with complete, accurate, unbiased medical information.”

Unlike a Reagan-era version of the rule, health care providers will be able to talk about abortion but won't be able to make a referral, such as suggesting a physician nearby who could do an abortion. Supporters say the difference means there is no "gag rule" on health providers, but opponents say the distinction makes little difference.

"The inability to refer someone who might be in a very serious medical condition for abortion care is really unethical in our view," said Dawn Laguens, executive vice president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, which promised to fight the ban. “This is an attempt to take away women’s basic rights, period."

A legal challenge is certain. Title X grantees including Planned Parenthood have already sued over previous administration changes to the program that put a greater focus on natural family planning versus access to all FDA-approved forms of contraception.

But there is legal precedent for the Trump administration's actions. The Reagan administration’s similar Title X changes went all the way to the Supreme Court, where they were upheld. The changes were never implemented, though; there were repeated delays until the Clinton administration ended them permanently.

The rule change will be hailed as a major win for conservatives, who weren't able to get Planned Parenthood defunding through Congress. Anti-abortion lawmakers tried to do so as part of last year’s Obamacare repeal effort but were unsuccessful. Dozens of Republicans wrote to administration officials last month calling for the abortion regulations.

“It would send a powerful signal,” Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) said Thursday. “It’s actually the president outpacing Congress on what we should be doing. No taxpayer dollars should go to an organization that either conducts or promotes abortion.”

A White House official dubbed the new policy a notable achievement, framing it as a "conscience rights" issue of keeping taxpayer dollars from even indirectly being used for abortions. Planned Parenthood funding has become a sticking point in several recent major pieces of legislation on Capitol Hill and this regulatory action could defuse those battles. The White House budget office is now reviewing the proposal before it can be released.

Anti-abortion groups praised the move.

"We are encouraged to see the announcement of Title X regulations that are back in line with previous policy that prevents federal dollars from being used to directly or indirectly promote abortion domestically," said National Right to Life President Carol Tobias.

President Donald Trump — who in 2016 was viewed with a lot of suspicion by conservatives because he previously called himself "pro-choice" — has won over the anti-abortion community. He is due to speak at the anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony List's annual gala on Tuesday.

"President Trump has shown decisive leadership, delivering on a key promise to pro-life voters who worked so hard to elect him," SBA List's Marjorie Dannenfelser said in a statement. "This is a major victory which will energize the grassroots as we head into the critical midterm elections.”

Planned Parenthood would not be the only organization hit by the new rules but it is certainly the largest. Planned Parenthood facilities treat about 40 percent of the 4 million people who get health care services through Title X each year.

The new rules will have to go through the regulatory process, which would likely take months. A legal challenge would likely stretch that out even further.

Matthew Nussbaum contributed to this report.