Oregon AG sues Trump administration over new Title X funding restrictions
OREGON (KTVZ) -- Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield filed a lawsuit against the federal government today over new restrictions placed on Title X family planning funds.
Rayfield joined a coalition of 22 other state attorneys general in challenging the rule changes instituted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The federal health agency announced the new funding conditions in July to govern Title X grants for the next five years. Title X provides federal support for reproductive health care, cancer screenings, family planning and disease prevention services nationwide.
Oregon received just under $3 million in Title X funding this year. The funds go to the Oregon Health Authority, which partners with health care providers and local public health agencies to deliver services across the state. Title X funding provided care to tens of thousands of Oregonians last year.
Rayfield criticized the policy changes when announcing the legal action.
“Family planning funds keep our communities healthy. They catch cancer early, prevent unintended pregnancies and stop the spread of disease,” Rayfield said. “These unlawful conditions from the Trump Administration are ripped straight from "The Handmaid's Tale." We're not going to let the federal government deny health care to Oregonians because of their narrow, dangerous and discriminatory political agenda.”
Under the federal rules, clinics receiving Title X funding must align with specific policy priorities to maintain financial support. Requirements include steering patients away from contraception toward natural family planning, promoting marriage and parenthood over neutral counseling, eliminating diversity and inclusion programs, excluding transgender patients and addressing unrelated issues such as crime and disorder. Clinics that fail to meet the conditions face complete loss of funding.
The coalition contends the new rules violate federal law by conflicting with statutory requirements for Title X, which mandate unbiased counseling and access to a full range of birth control options. The lawsuit also states HHS failed to allow a required public comment period prior to enacting the changes and argues the vague nature of the conditions creates constitutional issues regarding federal funding strings.
Attorneys general from California, Colo., Conn., Del., Hawaii, Ill., Maine, Md., Mass., Mich., Minn., Nev., N.J., N.M., N.Y., R.I., Vt., Va., Wash. and Wisconsin joined Oregon in filing the challenge. The governors of Pennsylvania and Kentucky are also part of the coalition.
The lawsuit asks the court to block HHS from enforcing the new conditions and allow Title X to continue operating under its previous rules.
