A group of 14 Democratic governors threatened to sue the Trump administration if it moves forward with changes to family planning grants that would defund Planned Parenthood.
The governors sent a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar Thursday outlining their opposition to the proposed changes to Title X, which provides federal funding to organizations that provide birth control, testing for sexually transmitted diseases, and cancer screenings.
The Trump administration proposed this month restricting funding under the program to organizations that also perform abortions if they are housed in the same facility. It would place restrictions on when doctors and nurses can discuss abortion with patients, which opponents call a “gag rule.”
[Planned Parenthood leaves door open to lawsuit on Trump’s ‘gag rule’]
The proposal has not been finalized, but the governors are already sending a warning shot.
“If the federal government breaks its commitment to states in the Title X program, we will react in kind and do what is necessary to protect the health of our constituents,” the letter said. “If this reckless policy is finalized as written, we will have no choice but to explore all possible avenues, including legal options, to block it from harming the women in our states.”
The Trump administration has countered that the proposal will help ensure compliance with laws that prohibit federal funding from covering abortions.
The proposal is similar to a 1988 policy under former President Ronald Reagan. That policy was challenged in court but the Supreme Court allowed it to move forward.
Former President Bill Clinton rolled back the rule in 1994.
Govs. Mark Dayton of Minnesota, John Hickenlooper of Colorado, Dan Malloy of Connecticut, Steve Bullock of Montana, David Ige of Hawaii, Tom Wolf of Pennsylvania, Kate Brown of Oregon, John Carney of Delaware, Phil Murphy of New Jersey, Roy Cooper of North Carolina, Ralph Northam of Virginia, Andrew Cuomo of New York, Jay Inslee of Washington, and Gina Raimondo of Rhode Island signed the letter.
