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WHEREAS, Title X projects must currently offer pregnant women referrals upon request for a range of options, including for prenatal care and delivery; infant care, foster care, or adoption; and abortion; and
WHEREAS, Title X funding goes to a network of more than 4,500 clinics that serve more than 5 million patients every year; and
WHEREAS, the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) on June 1, 2018, that would change the regulations governing Title X; and
WHEREAS, the proposed NPRM gag rule would ban doctors, nurses, hospitals, community health centers, and any other provider from giving patients referrals for abortions; and
WHEREAS, the proposed rule would require that a project may not "provide, promote, refer for, support, or present abortion as a method of family planning" and would only allow pregnant patients to be given a list of "comprehensive health service providers who do not provide abortion as a part of their services;" and
WHEREAS, the NPRM's publication in the Federal Register marks the beginning of a notice-and-comment rulemaking process. For a period of 60 days, the agency will solicit public comment on the proposal. After this period ends, HHS will review all the received comments and may issue a final rule; and
WHEREAS, major medical associations like the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American College of Physicians, and others oppose this rule; and
WHEREAS, more than 200 members of Congress and more than 110 public health organizations have come out in opposition to the gag rule policy; and
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NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby oppose the United States Department of Health and Human Services' proposed rule changes to Title X and the harmful effects of a lack of basic healthcare and services that stem from these changes; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Council of the City of P...
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