9th Circuit allows pro-life funding rules to take effect

WASHINGTON—The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Thursday that Trump administration regulations blocking Title X funds from going to abortion facilities can take effect while lawsuits against them move forward. The Department of Health and Human Services introduced the new rules in February to stop backdoor funding of abortions by the U.S. government. “This decision is a major step toward the Trump administration being able to ensure that all Title X projects comply with the Title X statute and do not support abortion as a method of family planning,” HHS Secretary Alex Azar said.

Title X’s family planning program gives federal funding to clinics that provide “family planning and preventative health services,” but the law specifies that no funds should go toward abortion. The rule changes clarify that Title X recipients cannot be co-located with an abortion center or refer patients for abortion, though they can still provide “non-directive counseling” on the practice. Planned Parenthood receives about $60 million a year from Title X. The abortion giant has said it would leave the program if the new rules are implemented.

More than 20 states sued the administration over the changes, and federal judges in California, Oregon, and Washington blocked the rules’ implementation. The 9th Circuit’s opinion overrules those judges and lifts any injunctions.