Once again, the Trump Administration is putting into action its contempt for the health of young people, by issuing rules that would prevent them from receiving essential services offered through the Title X family planning program.

In May 2018, the Trump administration released a proposed rule that essentially dismantled Title X, the nation’s only federal program for affordable reproductive health services. And they have followed through with a rule that will make it impossible for patients to get preventative care at Planned Parenthood, who serves 41% of the 4 million Title X patients and create an abortion “gag rule” that will remove the guarantee that patients receive full and accurate information about their reproductive and sexual health.

Nearly 4,000 facilities nationwide currently receive Title X funding, serving over 4 million patients across the country, ensuring that low income communities can access birth control, STI testing, cancer screenings, and other essential reproductive health care. And many of their clients are young people – a recent 2016 Title X Family Planning Report shows that 39.1% of all Title X clients were under the age of 25.

When the Trump administration released this proposed rule, nearly 500,000 people submitted comments opposing it, including over 500 young people from Advocates’ Youth Activist Network who shared their own personal stories about accessing healthcare. But none of that matters to a President bent on harming young people in the name of an extremist ideological agenda.

“Young people have the right to full and complete information about their reproductive and sexual health, and deserve access to fully confidential services. This harmful final rule from the Trump administration flies in the face of what young people need, essentially dismantling the program that has served low-income and young people for years,” said Debra Hauser, President of Advocates for Youth.  “Young people are working to move this country forward, not backward, and they won’t tolerate these constant attacks on abortion care and all reproductive and sexual health care services.”