Letter to the Honorable Alex Azar, Secretary for the Department of Health and Human Services - Gov. Halt Domestic Gag Rule
Letter
Dear Secretary Azar:
As governors representing 90 million Americans, we are deeply concerned with this Administration's plan to undermine women's health and place sweeping new restrictions on reproductive healthcare providers across our country. For more than 40 years, Title X has been an important partnership between the federal government and states that has been supported by Democrats and Republicans alike. This dangerous proposal would upend decades of bipartisan cooperation, taking away women's healthcare through trusted medical providers like Planned Parenthood and eroding their access to comprehensive, medically accurate information. We strongly urge you to reconsider this plan, which is nothing more than a domestic "gag rule" that poses serious risks to women's health.
We stand with women and men in our states by rejecting this Administration's efforts to interfere in the doctor-patient relationship, gut women's access to family planning services, and force medical professionals to knowingly withhold information from their patients. 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. We call on all Americans to actively and aggressively oppose this proposed action. And 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. Our voices will be heard on this damaging proposal, and we are prepared to match our words with action.
We strongly urge you not to undermine the important work that Governors and administrations of both parties have done for decades to support women and families through Title X. We will continue to consult with our states' Attorneys General, state legislatures, and state health agencies to stop this rule from harming the millions of women we are sworn to protect.
Sincerely,
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