ACOG Statement on Title X

Washington, DC—Ted L. Anderson, MD, PhD, president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), issued the following statement about changes to Title X of the Public Health Service Act:

"Title X plays an essential role in ensuring that millions of women have access to the full range of reproductive health care. Restricting clinics that provide abortion referrals from receiving federal funding represents inappropriate intrusion in the patient-physician relationship and creates unnecessary limitations for patients to access non-abortion reproductive health care. ACOG opposes government rules preventing any physicians from sharing the full spectrum of accurate medical information necessary to ensure that their patients are able to make timely, fully informed medical decisions.

“We are disappointed that the Administration is moving forward with these changes and we hope that pending litigation will restore the ability of Title X providers to speak honestly and openly with their patients.”

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) is the nation’s leading group of physicians providing health care for women. As a private, voluntary, nonprofit membership organization of more than 58,000 members, ACOG strongly advocates for quality health care for women, maintains the highest standards of clinical practice and continuing education of its members, promotes patient education, and increases awareness among its members and the public of the changing issues facing women’s health care. www.acog.org