Essential Access Health v. Azar
Our Fight to #SaveTitleX
As the leader of the largest and most diverse Title X system in the country, Essential Access Health filed a lawsuit in federal court to block the Trump administration’s harmful, unlawful, and unconstitutional Title X regulations from taking effect. The regulations represent some of the most extreme policy changes proposed in the history of the program, and undermine Title X’s mandate to make comprehensive family planning services available for all.
If implemented, the new regulations will delay access to birth control and other essential sexual and reproductive health services for millions of patients served by Title X in California and across the nation.
- What’s the Latest News?
- About the Trump Administration’s Title X Regulations
- About Title X in California
- Resources + Information
- For the Media
What’s the Latest News?
A federal judge in San Francisco has granted requests filed by Essential Access Health and Attorney General Xavier Becerra for a preliminary injunction, to block the regulations from taking effect in California. The federal government’s request to lift the preliminary injunction was denied at the District Court level on May 8th, and the rules remain blocked in California. The next step is for the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to weigh in on their request. Federal judges in Oregon and Washington have also granted preliminary injunctions to halt implementation of the regulations nationwide.
Contact us if you have any questions.
About the Trump Administration’s Title X Regulations
On March 4, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services published new regulations for the federal Title X program in the Federal Register. These regulations, if implemented, will prohibit health providers from offering Title X patients complete and unbiased information about all of their pregnancy options, including referrals for abortion services, even if a patient asks for the information. The regulations require the separation of family planning facilities from those that provide abortions, repeal nondirective counseling, impose administrative burdens on providers and patients, and include new program requirements that would have a chilling effect on teens seeking care. If implemented, the regulations will delay access to time-sensitive preventive services and force qualified providers out of the Title X program – creating gaps in care that will have a disproportionate effect on rural areas and communities of color.
- KFF Brief: New Title X Regulations: Implications for Women and Family Planning Providers
- Guttmacher Institute’s Comprehensive Guide to Proposed Changes to Title X
Key components of the Title X regulations were scheduled to go into effect on May 3, but implementation has been halted by preliminary injunctions issued in California, Oregon, and Washington.
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About Title X in California
The Title X federal family planning program was established by Congress in 1970 with bi-partisan support. Title X funding supports the delivery of quality sexual and reproductive services such as birth control, breast and cervical cancer screenings, STD testing and treatment and other preventive services. Title X has played a significant role in reducing unintended pregnancies to their lowest levels in 30 years, and family planning has been named one of the top ten public health achievements of the last century. Today, more than 4,000,000 low-income and uninsured patients nationwide rely on Title X year to access contraception and other essential health care.
California is home to the largest and most comprehensive Title X system in the country. Essential Access Health has served as the lead Title X grantee in the state of California since the program was established. One in four Title X patients served nationwide receives care at a Title X-funded health center in Essential Access Health’s statewide Title X provider network. In 2017, Title X funding also supported outreach and education activities that connected over 500,000 Californians to family planning services in their local communities.
- Title X in California: Fact Sheet (PDF)
- Title X in California: Regional Map (PDF)
- 2019 Survey Shows Wide Support for Reproductive Health Care Among Likely California Voters
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Resources + Information
- Essential Access Health v Azar – Preliminary Injunction Decision (blocking Title X regulations from taking effect in California)
- Essential Access Health v Azar – Preliminary Injunction Motion
- Essential Access Health v. Azar Complaint
- Title X in California: Fact Sheet (PDF)
- Social Media Posts + Graphics
- KFF Brief: New Title X Regulations: Implications for Women and Family Planning Providers
- Guttmacher Institute’s Comprehensive Guide to Proposed Changes to Title X
Contact us to receive additional information and materials.
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For the Media
- 4.29.2019: District Court Judge issues preliminary injunction to block Title X regulations in California. Read Essential Access Health’s press release.
- 4.18.2019: Essential Access Health’s media advisory for April 18th preliminary injunction hearing
- 3.28.2019: Press release applauding the CA State Senate for taking action to #SaveTitleX
- 3.22.2019: Press release on filing a preliminary injunction motion to block harmful and unlawful Title X regulations from taking effect.
- 3.04.2019: Press release on our legal challenge to block Title X regulations from taking effect.
- 2.28.2019: Essential Access Health’s statement on how the changes could impact Title X in California
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