A major doctor lobbying group urged the Trump administration to roll back a proposal to cut federal funds to Planned Parenthood.
The American Medical Association issued comments on Tuesday responding to a proposed rule from the administration to revamp family planning grants to restrict funding for groups that provide abortion, such as Planned Parenthood.
The group was also concerned about new rules that would “prohibit in most cases referrals for abortion and restrict counseling about abortion services,” the comments said. Other issues include directing new funding to “faith-based and other organizations that promote fertility awareness and abstinence as methods of family planning rather than the full range of evidence-based family planning methods.”
AMA noted that the law behind the family planning grants, called Title X, already states that no federal funding should go towards covering abortions.
“This provision has generally been interpreted throughout the program’s history as meaning that Title X funds cannot be used to pay for or support abortion, which is reflected in the current regulations,” AMA said. “However, the [proposal] adds vague and confusing language that Title X projects shall not promote, encourage, support or present abortion as a method of family planning.”
AMA is worried that the terms aren’t defined in the new regulation. The group said the vagueness could have a “chilling effect” on doctors as they may not provide advice on abortion for fear of violating federal rules.
The AMA joins congressional Democrats in opposing the changes to Title X.
Sens. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., and Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., called for the Trump administration to extend the comment period for the proposed regulation.
“Given that the Department acknowledges that there is no statutory or other legal requirement to issue the rule, along with the fact that the rule conveys no quantifiable benefit, we are alarmed and confused by this expedited timeframe,” they said in a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar last week.
But anti-abortion groups praised the Trump administration’s move.
The proposal draws a “bright line between abortion and family planning in the Title X program,” according to a collection of three anti-abortion groups in comments on the proposal. Susan B. Anthony List, Charlotte Lozier Institute and Life Issues Institute submitted the joint comments on Tuesday.
