Attorney General James Hails Progress In Title X Case  

NEW YORK—Attorney General Letitia James today released a statement regarding news that Judge McShane of the U.S. District Court in Oregon made a preliminary determination in favor of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit challenging regulations that would threaten essential services provided under federal Title X funding. The $286 million annual grant in question supports a wide variety of healthcare services – not just pregnancy counseling and family planning – but also cancer screenings, STD testing, and other vital preventive care services. 

The challenged regulations would interfere with health care providers’ ability to fully inform patients of the reproductive health services available to them by disallowing referrals for abortions and counseling related to abortions. Another provision would require those who perform abortion to physically segregate their services, an expensive and potentially impossible requirement. 

Judge McShane indicated from the bench today that he would enjoin the challenged rules from taking effect, but the geographic scope of the injunction remains to be determined. 

Attorney General James said: “The judge’s preliminary decision is a major victory for everyone who believes in access to healthcare. The law requires that healthcare providers be allowed to offer fact-based information about reproductive health. We will continue to fight to protect healthcare services and reproductive choice.”