Shaheen Statement on Federal Court Ruling to Block Trump’s Domestic Gag Rule
**Earlier this Week, Shaheen Joined Members of the NH Congressional Delegation & Planned Parenthood Leadership in Opposition to Trump’s Domestic Gag Rule that Would Prohibit Women’s Health Care Providers That Advise Patients on Abortion Services from Receiving Federal Funding**
(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) issued the following statement in response to a preliminary injunction to temporarily block President Trump’s indefensible effort to undermine the Title X family planning program. If allowed to proceed, the President’s action would impose a domestic gag rule prohibiting women’s health care providers that advise patients on abortion services from receiving critical federal family planning funding. This rule would impact access to reproductive health care services for women who utilize providers such as Planned Parenthood for comprehensive health care. In July, Senator Shaheen sent a letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar, opposing this specific rule.
“This is welcome news and I’m relieved for the thousands of Granite Staters who rely on Planned Parenthood and other family planning clinics for their health care,” said Shaheen. “The court’s action was urgently needed as the domestic gag rule is rooted in a dangerous partisan effort to interfere in women’s access to reproductive health care services. This is another assault by the Trump administration on women’s Constitutional rights. While I’m encouraged by this temporary injunction, we’re not out of the woods yet. I’ll continue to stand up to the President’s incessant attacks on women’s health and I urge Republicans to join Democrats in this effort to protect health care access for Granite Staters and Americans across the country.”
On Monday, Senator Shaheen held a press conference with Representatives Annie Kuster (NH-02) and Chris Pappas (NH-01), Planned Parenthood President Dr. Leana Wen and Planned Parenthood of Northern New England President and CEO Meaghan Gallagher in opposition of the domestic gag rule.
Senator Shaheen is a dedicated advocate for women’s reproductive rights. Senator Shaheen has been fighting for years to increase coverage of women’s preventative care in the annual defense authorization bill. Earlier this month, Shaheen led the bicameral effort in Congress to reintroduce her legislation that would overhaul the Department of Defense’s (DOD) policy on contraceptive coverage and family planning to bring it in line with current law for civilian populations. The bill would ensure all women who receive health care through the United States military have access to all forms of Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved contraception with no health insurance co-pay. Last week, Shaheen reintroduced the Access to Birth Control Act with Senator Cory Booker (D-NH), which would guarantee patients’ timely access to birth control at the pharmacy. Shaheen has also repeatedly fought to repeal the Global Gag Rule, which bans critical federal aid for non-governmental groups that provide the full scope of family planning and maternal health services abroad.
