The most that Title X providers are allowed to do for someone who asks for a referral to an abortion clinic is offer the patient a list of comprehensive primary healthcare providers. Some of the facilities on the list — “but not the majority,” according to the rule — can also provide abortions. So the list becomes what a lawsuit filed by Planned Parenthood calls a “scavenger hunt” for anyone who wants an abortion. It’s egregious of the government to gag healthcare providers, and it’s unconscionable to enlist them in a ploy of obfuscation. The lawsuits also contend that the rule violates federal statutes — including the Affordable Care Act, which prevents HHS from interfering with a provider telling patients about their full range of treatment options.

Source: Los Angeles Times March 25, 2019 10:07 UTC