AMA Files Federal Lawsuit in Response to Title X Funding Changes

Lady Justice

Late last month, the Trump Administration announced that it will institute a new rule which prohibits family planning clinics that perform abortions from receiving federal funding under the Title X program. Furthermore, clinics that receive Title X funding will no longer be allowed to share office space with abortion providers. Meanwhile, the funds that would ordinarily go to these healthcare providers will instead be rerouted toward faith-based clinics that do not perform abortions.

Following the announcement, several doctors’ groups were quick to raise concerns about the negative impact this new rule could have on clinics that provide an array of other services such as cancer screenings, STI testing and birth control.

Now, the American Medical Association has announced that it will file a federal lawsuit against the Trump Administration in conjunction with Planned Parenthood, arguing that the rule “will be a national health crisis in short order.”

In addition to limiting access to healthcare services and potentially increasing the rate of unintended pregnancies, the AMA also asserts that the rule constitutes a basic violation of patients’ rights.

“Because of the administration’s overreach and interference … physicians will be prohibited from having open, frank conversations with their patients about all their healthcare options,” said AMA president Dr. Barbara McAneny in a statement. “This blatant violation of patients’ rights under the Code of Medical Ethics is untenable.”

At least 21 states have announced that they will file their own lawsuits challenging the new rule as well, which California Attorney General Xavier Becerra called an “extraordinary overreach” by the federal government. Other organizations which have vowed to take legal action in response to the rule include the American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Reproductive Rights.