Family planning organizations – including one in Pennsylvania – are suing Trump administration over Title X funding announcement

National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association and the Pennsylvania Family Planning Organization filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Health and Human Services Agency, accusing it of politicizing the Title X grant funding program and violating the intent of the law.

Lawyers from the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania and the national organization represent the National Family Planning Association and the Central Pennsylvania Family Health Council. The complaint says the Family Health Council is a network of 19 providers in 24 central Pennsylvania counties that provide family planning services to more than 31,000 low-income residents each year.

Clare Coleman, president and CEO of the National Association for Family Planning and Reproductive Health, told Stateline on Thursday that the organization chose the Pennsylvania-based network to participate in the lawsuit in part because it has been a recipient of funds since the beginning of the Title X program in 1970 and serves a enormous number of people.

“We are very grateful that they were willing to stand with us,” Coleman said.

The case was assigned to U.S. District Judge Yvette Kane, an appointee of former Democratic President Bill Clinton.

Title X, established by Congress and signed into law by former Republican Party President Richard Nixon, is a grant program primarily targeting low-income or uninsured people, including people who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid, who might otherwise not have access to family planning and reproductive health services. This includes services such as contraception, pregnancy tests, tests for sexually transmitted infections and medical examinations. Abortion services cannot be covered by Title X dollars.

The complaint concerns the above-mentioned 2027 Title X Funding Opportunity Noticewhich was released in April. Potential winners must submit applications by January for consideration in the next funding cycle.

The funding opportunity language states that all applicants must first complete an “adjustment review” to determine eligibility for the grant. This adjustment is based on priorities identified by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, and the Office of Population Affairs. These priorities include ending diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, and gender-affirming care. The complaint states that a decision regarding an applicant’s eligibility cannot be appealed.

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Coleman said these priorities directly conflict with those outlined in the last round of funding under former President Joe Biden, whose administration emphasized the importance of health equity efforts and the inclusion of gender-affirming care for transgender patients. Coleman said this means funding may not be available to some applicants and will favor recent applicants.

“We believe the funding announcement is intended to favor providers that the administration would prefer to see in the program,” Coleman said, which could include clinics with a religious mission such as pregnancy crisis centers or major Catholic health care organizations.

The complaint also argues that these requirements are in direct conflict with the Title X statute, which requires HHS to consider factors such as the number of patients served, the degree of local demand for services, and whether the applicant can quickly and effectively utilize grant funds. Family planning organizations say the recent application process is designed to support the Trump administration’s political agenda rather than to fulfill Congress’s mandate to “offer patients a broad range of acceptable and effective family planning methods and services.”

Funding Notice Guidelines as well changes focus Title X grants, ranging from expanding access to services such as contraception to strengthening “family building” and helping clients “achieve a healthy pregnancy.” Clinics have been instructed to prioritize and promote natural family planning methods such as menstrual cycle tracking, which the Center for Pregnancy Prevention says is less effective than contraception. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

“(The Notice of Funding) allows defendants to select winners and losers based on political affiliation rather than merit and ability to provide quality Title X services,” the complaint says. “This is not how federal grants should be awarded, and this is especially not how Congress instructed defendants to award Title X grants.”

A hearing in the case is likely to be held in the coming weeks.

Stateline reporter Kelcie Moseley-Morris can be reached at: kmoseley@stateline.org.