Senators Hassan & Shaheen Help Introduce Legislation to Protect Funding for Planned Parenthood & Family Planning Centers

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen joined a group of their colleagues to introduce legislation to protect access to critical reproductive health care services—like birth control, cancer screenings and more—by providing a consistent and strong source of funding for the Title X Family Planning Program. In addition, the legislation bars New Hampshire and other states from denying Title X funding to Planned Parenthood and other family planning centers that provide full reproductive health care services, including abortion services.

“This bill is one way for us to support a woman’s reproductive freedom in the face of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and the threat of a nationwide abortion ban,” said Senator Hassan. “By providing significant funding for Title X, we can help more women access reproductive health care. Importantly, our bill prevents New Hampshire and states across the country from excluding Planned Parenthood and other family planning centers from this federal funding.”

“The Title X program plays a critical role in ensuring frontline reproductive health care. It’s a shame Republicans in Concord have blocked providers like Lovering and Equality Health Centers from having the resources they need to care for patients, especially amid Republicans’ incessant attacks to limit services. Republicans have made their long-term goals clear to continue chipping away at women’s health and reproductive freedom, which is why it is paramount that we fight back by expanding programs like Title X that we know work,” said Senator Shaheen. “Democrats must use every tool at our disposal to defend women’s health, expand access to the family planning services and safeguard the full scope of comprehensive reproductive care that people need.”

The Title X Family Planning Program is the only federal program dedicated to providing comprehensive family planning and preventive health services. Hundreds of thousands of Americans rely on the program for essential health care. Title X is funded through the annual appropriations process, which subjects the program to an unpredictable funding stream that is insufficient to meet the national need. The Senators’ Expanding Access to Family Planning Act would provide a consistent and strong source of funding for Title X.

The Expanding Access to Family Planning Act would:

• Provide $500 million in mandatory funding for Title X services for each of the next 10 fiscal years.  This is well above the $286 million the program received in FY2022. 
• Deliver $50 million in mandatory funding for clinic construction, renovation, and related infrastructure enhancements for each of the next 10 fiscal years.
• Reinstate regulations prohibiting discrimination of providers who deliver Title X services.
• Require that pregnancy counseling include information about prenatal care and delivery, infant care, foster care, adoption, and pregnancy termination, unless a patient does not have any interest in receiving information about an option. 

Senator Hassan and Shaheen are unrelenting advocates for women’s reproductive rights. They have met with New Hampshire reproductive rights leaders, including leading a press conference with Planned Parenthood of Northern New England earlier this year and standing up against the state’s decision to defund Planned Parenthood. At a recent hearing, Senator Hassan underscored the dangerous consequences of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe. Shaheen recently spoke on the Senate floor to urge lawmakers to vote in favor of legislation that would codify Roe. Senators Hassan and Shaheen have also been leaders in the fight to protect Title X family planning centers. Earlier this year, Hassan and Shaheen joined Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra in Manchester for a meeting with New Hampshire family planning providers amid continued attacks from State and congressional Republicans.

You can access a summary of the bill here and the full text here.

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