Planned Parenthood of Northern New England is supporting a lawsuit brought by three of its affiliates against the Trump administration. The lawsuit is trying to block proposed changes to the Title X program, which provides funding for birth control and reproductive health care to low income patients.
"Specifically what they did was insert abstinence into the program, removed references to effective methods of birth control like the birth control pill and the IUD and instead are promoting fertility awareness," says Nicole Clegg, vice president of public policy for Planned Parenthood of Northern New England.
Clegg says if the changes are implemented, it would require health providers who receive Title X funding to emphasize abstinence to their patients.
"So imagine a 30-year-old single woman who is coming to us for birth control that she should attain a sexually risk free status and be abstinent and pursue marriage, instead of seeking the health care that she wants."
Clegg says Maine's four Planned Parenthood centers serve about half of the 22,000 Title X patients in the state.
This story was originally published May 2, 2018 at 3:13 p.m. ET.
