ANA Condemns Title X Funding Cuts Proposed by the Trump Administration

CONTACT:
Shannon McClendon, 301-628-5391
shannon.mcclendon@ana.org

Rachel Farbman, 301-628-5062
rachel.farbman@ana.org

SILVER SPRING, MD – The American Nurses Association (ANA) condemns the Trump administration’s proposal to change how Title X family planning funds are allocated. The proposal, to be filed by the Department of Health and Human Services, would impose a “domestic gag rule” for providers that receive Title X family planning funding. The proposed rule is anticipated to prohibit providers from giving patients information about and referrals for abortion, and prohibit Title X centers from independently providing abortion services with non-federal funds.

ANA has historically advocated for the health care needs of all patients, including services related to reproductive health. This proposal is a major setback to progress made to ensure individuals have access to the services and care that they seek. As a result, millions of Americans stand to lose basic, preventive reproductive health care, such as birth control, cancer screenings, STI testing and treatment, and well-woman exams. The uninsured, women of color and low-income families will undoubtedly be disproportionately affected if the clinics and health centers in their communities can no longer offer the needed care and critical medical information.

As the most “honest and ethical” profession, nurses must guard against any erosive policy that hinders patients from making meaningful, informed decisions about their own health, or that blocks access to care. The Code of Ethics for Nurses outlines that the nurse’s primary commitment is to the patient, whether an individual, family, group, community, or population. This proposed rule interferes with that relationship and violates basic ethics of the profession.

ANA believes that health care consumers have the right to privacy and the right to make decisions about personal health care based on full information and without coercion. ANA has advocated and will continue to fight for affordable, quality health care for all people, including services related to reproductive health.