Title X guidelines for 2027 would make Planned Parenthood ineligible for funding

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued new Title X guidelines that could take effect when family planning programs reapply for 2027 funding. The goal of the changes appears to be to "strengthen family formation and assist clients in achieving healthy pregnancies."

Key Takeaways:

• On Friday, the Department of Health and Human Services issued new guidelines for family planning programs applying for Title X funding for 2027.

• The guidelines state that grantees cannot use abortion as a method of family planning.

• HHS said programs that uphold the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits the use of federal funding for "elective" abortions, will be prioritized.

• HHS will also priortize programs that use a "science driven approach to healthcare."

The Details:

Under the rules, facilities that commit or refer for abortion would be ineligible for funding. The notice from HHS states, "None of the funds appropriated under this title shall be used in programs where abortion is a method of family planning." It also says, "The Hyde Amendment expressly prohibits the use of federal funds administered by HHS to pay for elective abortion." Programs that uphold Hyde protections will be prioritized. The notice continues (emphases added):

We expect recipients to demonstrate how their Title X projects maintain strict separation from prohibited activities and contribute to broader HHS efforts to safeguard life-affirming, lawful, and ethical program delivery. Key strategies include, but are not limited to, implementing robust financial and programmatic safeguards; providing clear guidance to staff and subrecipients on Hyde requirements; and establishing monitoring processes that ensure ongoing compliance among staff and subrecipients.

The Office of Population Affairs (OPA) is "interested in innovative strategies to address chronic disease; reduce overmedicalization by strengthening approaches focused on underlying behavioral and lifestyle factors of health and evidence-based practices such as fertiity-awareness based methods; promote health and body literacy; advance reproductive goals counseling for all clients; and support family formation," the notice states.

Other key points in the notice (emphases added):

• "HHS will not require grantees, individuals and institutions, who are covered by the Weldon Amendment to counsel or refer for abortions, notwithstanding the program's current regulations."

• To combat the "growing infertility crisis," Title X clinics "will be required to incorporate foundational body and health literacy into reproductive health counseling. This includes education on menstrual cycle physiology, hormonal health, male and female fertility awareness, and early indicators of reproductive disorders... that first emerge in adolescence."

• HHS will also prioritize funding for programs that "maintain a science driven approach to healthcare, including by protecting children, respecting biological reality, and upholding scientific integrity across its programs."

The document only mentions "contraception" in regard to the "decrease in females' current use" of birth control, and to an "overreliance on pharmaceutical and surgical treatments."

The Bottom Line:

Last week, the White House said that the Title X funding released Friday would be the last that Planned Parenthood receives.

“The administration has issued the fifth and final year of Title X grants that were locked in place during the Biden presidency,” White House spokesman Kush Desai told The Daily Wire. “The administration faced significant legal challenges in stopping any of these dollars from going out.”

He added, “Title X funds cannot be used for abortions by law and, consistent with President Trump’s Executive Order on Enforcing the Hyde Amendment, the Administration remains committed to realigning the Title X program with the President’s pro-life and pro-family agenda going forward."

The news that Planned Parenthood would continue to receive Title X funding through 2026 was called "a slap in the face" by Marjorie Dannenfelser, the president of SBA Pro-Life America. She argued that funding the abortion giant means “propping up a business whose main purpose is to end the lives of innocent unborn children.”

In a press release, Live Action founder and president Lila Rose called the decision to allow Planned Parenthood to receive Title X funding another year "unacceptable" and a "betrayal of the pro-life Americans who expected this administration to stand firmly against abortion and against the forced public funding of those who commit it."