Black women applaud Biden administration’s move to revoke ‘gag rule’

Statement of In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda

WASHINGTON — Yesterday, President Biden’s administration reversed the Trump administration’s “gag rule,” prohibiting health providers who receive funding under Title X to counsel their patients about abortion. In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda President and CEO Marcela Howell issued the following statement in response:

“We applaud President Biden’s administration for proactively supporting reproductive health, rights and justice. The Trump administration’s gag rule put millions at risk by forcing reproductive health care providers to choose between receiving desperately needed Title X funding or providing critical health care information to their patients. According to the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association, this extreme gag rule caused 1,300 health centers to refuse Title X family planning funding and caused more than 1.5 million people to lose access to Title X-funded care.

“Black women and all people of color have been disparately impacted by the gag rule, an unconscionable assault on our health. The Biden administration’s new rule will restore funding to health care providers who withdrew from the program in favor of providing full reproductive care to their patients. This new rule will expand access to essential health care services, especially in underserved communities.

“Black women and other women of color, immigrant women and young women face systemic barriers to health care, including reproductive health care — and reproductive health centers often help overcome some of those barriers. At this critical time when reproductive justice is under unprecedented attack, the Biden administration is sending a strong message in support of our health and rights.

“We support the administration’s efforts to repair the horrific damage resulting from the gag rule. We demand that Congress follow the president’s lead and pass legislation to protect and advance reproductive health — like the EACH Act and the Women’s Health Protection Act. Black women’s lives hinge on continued progress and support for Reproductive Justice.”

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In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda is a national reproductive justice organization focused on lifting up the voices of Black women at the national and regional levels in our ongoing policy fight to secure reproductive justice for all women and girls. Its eight strategic partners include Black Women for Wellness, Black Women’s Health Imperative, New Voices for Reproductive Justice, SisterLove, Inc., SisterReach, SPARK Reproductive Justice NOW, The Afiya Center and Women With A Vision.