California Attorney General Rob Bonta and attorneys general from 20 other states, along with two governors, filed a lawsuit against the Trump Administration's U.S. Department of Health and Human Services over changes to the Title X federal family planning program. The lawsuit challenges a Notice of Funding Opportunity issued by HHS that requires grantees to align with requirements the states describe as anti-diversity, anti-gender ideology, and directive counseling priorities.
Title X has provided access to contraceptive methods, cancer screenings, sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment, and other preventive services through a nationwide clinic network for more than 50 years. The program has enjoyed bipartisan support and has been continuously funded by Congress. California's Title X program, the largest in the nation, serves over 460,000 residents, according to the Attorney General.
The attorneys general argue in the lawsuit that the new conditions violate the Administrative Procedure Act, conflict with Title X law and congressional intent, and are unconstitutionally vague. They contend the requirements fail to provide applicants with fair notice of conditions for receiving or maintaining funding.
The new guidelines would require all Title X patients be counseled toward marriage and parenthood, and grantees would face ongoing compliance assessments regarding the administration's priorities, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit also challenges provisions targeting diversity and inclusion programs, provisions excluding or stigmatizing transgender individuals, and those elevating natural family planning over other forms of birth control.
"Title X is about making family planning and reproductive care accessible to all, but President Trump is trying to use ideologically driven conditions to unravel this historically bipartisan safety net," Bonta said. The coalition also includes attorneys general from New York, Maryland, Massachusetts, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin, as well as the governors of Pennsylvania and Kentucky.