The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit ruled that the Department of Health and Human Services’ final version of the Protect Life Rule, a rule to reform the Title X funding program, is “reasonable” and may immediately go into effect. The department announced the final version on March 4, which implements five major provisions, including a provision that ”none of the funds appropriated under this title shall be used in programs where abortion is a method of family planning.”
This doesn’t fully eradicate taxpayer subsidies funding Planned Parenthood, but it will prevent them from being funded through the Title X program. This ruling ensures that the Department of Health and Human Services can do more to comply with federal and state laws and help protect freedom of conscience for healthcare workers.
In a statement, Alliance Defending Freedom legal counsel Denise Harl said, “Americans’ hard-earned tax dollars should never be used to fund abortion, shield child abusers, or force medical professionals to violate their convictions by participating in the end of human life. Today, the 9th Circuit unanimously upheld the Trump administration’s rule as ‘reasonable’ and accurately applied the Supreme Court’s precedent by deciding that this rule may immediately go into effect.”
The number of times President Trump came through with a pro-life executive order or rule change is significant. It’s one thing to make a speech, but it’s quite another actually to implement new rules, reform funding, and put the right staff in place, which the Trump administration has repeatedly done. Hopefully, these Title X changes have seen their last legal challenge and remain in place long after Trump leaves office.
Nicole Russell (@russell_nm) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner‘s Beltway Confidential blog. She is a journalist who previously worked in Republican politics in Minnesota.
