The Department of Health and Human Services has issued new guidelines that set the stage for defunding Planned Parenthood and reshaping a federal family planning program.
The agency issued a notice of funding opportunity Friday with new guidelines for grant recipients under the Title X family planning program. The notice prohibits awardees from spending the grants on abortion and abortion-related services.
The guidelines instead incentivize applicants to address root causes of infertility, such as chronic diseases, reduce “overmedicalization” in fertility treatments, promote body literacy, and support family formation.
This is the first step toward reissuing the Protect Life Rule in President Donald Trump’s second term, prohibiting Title X funds from going to organizations that perform abortions. It was implemented in the first Trump administration but rescinded by former President Joe Biden. Now, HHS is developing a restored Protect Life Rule, The Daily Signal first reported, although it is unclear when the agency will finalize the rule.
In the meantime, the notice tells applicants how they can structure their programs to adhere to the requirements of the rule.
HHS says it will require grant awardees to “uphold Hyde protections” and “not use taxpayer resources to promote or support elective abortion.” The Hyde Amendment prohibits federal dollars from funding abortions.
“Integrating Hyde compliance within the Title X program strengthens its capacity to support women, families, and communities while ensuring adherence to federal law,” the notice says.
Once in effect, the rule will likely cause Planned Parenthood to turn down the Title X funds to continue performing abortions. In 2020, Planned Parenthood announced it would drop out of the program and forgo nearly $60 million in grants rather than comply with the rule.
Though the original statute that created the Title X program in 1970 specified that no funds “shall be used in programs where abortion is a method of family planning,” the Biden administration said that Title X clinics can refer to and perform abortions while not using the funding directly for abortions. The policy is currently in effect until Trump’s HHS officially rescinds it.
Instead of promoting contraception and abortion, the new guidelines reflect the administration’s focus on addressing “the root causes of chronic illnesses by targeting conditions that affect reproductive health and fertility.”
The guidance says Title X services must offer a range of FDA-approved contraceptive options, including natural family planning.
For instance, recipients will be expected to address conditions that cause infertility, such as hormonal imbalances, polycystic ovary syndrome, endometriosis, and uterine fibroids. Title X services are also recommended to address lifestyle and behavioral factors that impair infertility, such as pornography use, sleep quality, nutrition, and physical activity.
“We expect recipients to demonstrate how their Title X projects will contribute to broader
HHS efforts to reduce chronic disease risks across the reproductive lifespan, improve
health outcomes, and support individuals seeking to achieve healthy pregnancy,” the notice says.
Title X clinics will also be required to “incorporate foundational body and health literacy into reproductive health counseling.”
This will help “ensure that women and men understand the health significance of ovulation, endocrine function, and lifestyle factors that influence fertility, reproductive health, and future family formation, as well as pregnancy planning and risk reduction,” the notice states.
Amid falling birth rates, the notice requires Title X recipients to “provide services that support individuals and families seeking to have children.”
The president’s fiscal year 2027 budget, also released Friday, requests that the Title X family planning program be defunded entirely. However, because Congress has already appropriated the funds for the program, that is unlikely to happen. HHS plans to make about $257 million available for up to 90 grant awards.
Awardees must also ensure that illegal aliens do not receive Title X services, and that recipients don’t use the funds to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion ideology.
