On May 17, 2021, NCLR submitted comments on behalf of 14 LGBTQ and sexual health advocacy organizations encouraging the Biden Administration to adopt new regulations for the Title X family planning program. This critical federal program provides funding for health centers around the country that provide contraception, STI testing and other important health services to primarily low-income people, including many who are LGBTQ. The Trump administration had imposed harsh rules that drove Planned Parenthood and other providers that provide abortion care out of the program, cutting off access for millions. NCLR opposed those rules when they were proposed back in 2019, and we applaud President Biden and HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra for their proposal to restore this vital program through a new set of regulations. In our formal comments we offered some suggestions to make the new regulations even better, and noted how important these family planning clinics are for our community, as many provide welcoming and affirming spaces for LGBTQ people to access health care, including gender-affirming care. (For example, Cedar River Clinics in Washington state truly strives to be a model of reproductive justice by offering not just abortion and contraception, but also insemination services, wellness care, and LGBTQ-specific services, including their Transgender Health Care Toolkit.) We encourage the administration to finalize the new rules as soon as possible so that the Title X network can return to full strength and fulfill its mission to provide comprehensive family planning and related preventive health services to those who need them.
