Blumenthal & Murray Applaud Final Rule Protecting Title X Health Care Providers

U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Patty Murray (D-WA), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, applauded a final rule released by the Obama Administration today that will reinforce existing protections in the Title X family planning program that prohibit states from excluding women's health providers for reasons unrelated to their ability to provide Title X services effectively.

"I applaud the Obama Administration for taking long-awaited action to clarify outdated regulations that will help ensure that all people have access to critical healthcare services -- no matter who they are, what they look like, or what their economic circumstances may be. The safety net providers who deliver these services are on the front lines of our healthcare system," Blumenthal said. "Today, I am joining the women of American in putting Congressional Republicans on notice: if you prioritize the politicization of healthcare over access to services, we will fight you every single step of the way."

"Millions of women and men across the country depend on family planning clinics for basic primary care, from breast exams to HIV tests, as well as the full range of reproductive health care--and it's completely unacceptable that elected officials would put access to that care at risk in order to impose their extreme, anti-abortion beliefs on women," said Murray. "I'm glad that the Administration finalized a rule to ensure that quality of care, not partisan political beliefs, determine which providers get federal funding, and I look forward to working as hard as I can to ensure it is fully implemented."

Blumenthal and Murray have been vocal supporters of the Obama Administration's efforts to update the regulations the Title X family planning program. In October, Blumenthal and Murray led a letter signed by 39 of their Senate colleagues in support of the rule ensuring that healthcare providers who also provide abortion services are not discriminated for the purposes of federal funding. The Senators' efforts follow a disturbing trend of state-based political attacks that have limited access to critical health care services -- including cancer screenings, birth control, STI testing and treatment, and well-woman exams.

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