Chicago – Attorney General Kwame Raoul, as part of a coalition of 24 attorneys general, filed an amicus brief in support of reproductive health care provided by the Title X program, the sole federal program dedicated to family planning services.
Raoul and the coalition filed the brief supporting the federal government’s appeal of a Texas district court judge’s December 2022 ruling in Deanda v. Becerra, which prohibited the provision of Title X services to minors in Texas without parental consent. In their amicus brief, Raoul and the coalition argue imposing restrictions on the program would make it harder for vulnerable young people to seek and receive necessary medical care and could ultimately harm their health and safety.
“Limiting access to health care services relied upon by some of our most vulnerable populations will only increase health disparities and risks to patients,” Raoul said. “Title X has provided care to millions of Americans, and I will continue to fight to ensure patients have access to the health care they need.”
In their amicus brief, Raoul and the coalition support the government’s appeal arguing that confidentiality plays a critical role in protecting adolescents’ access to Title X services. Studies show that the program’s guarantee of confidentiality:
Raoul and the coalition argue the Title X program is an important source of funding for states to provide affordable birth control and other sexual and reproductive health care to their residents, especially those from underserved groups such as rural communities, communities of color and low-income, uninsured and underinsured families. In 2018 alone, the program supported about 3,825 safety-net family planning centers around the nation that collectively served 3.9 million women, men and adolescents.
Joining Raoul in filing the brief are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin.
