Rep. Garlick, MA House Vote Counteract Federal Changes to Title X

Today, State Representative Denise C. Garlick (Needham) joined her colleagues in the Massachusetts House of Representatives to pass legislation which provides $8 million to women’s reproductive health organizations in the state to offset the loss of federal funding through the Trump Administration’s changes to the Title X program. The House approved the measure by an overwhelming vote of 139 to 14.

The funding, valued at $8 million through Fiscal Year 2019 and 2020, is to ensure the continuity of clinical family planning services, education and counseling, physical exams, and sexually transmitted disease testing and cancer screening at Massachusetts organizations across the Commonwealth. Under the Title X program, clinical family planning providers focus on serving clients under 250 per cent of the federal poverty level.

“As a nurse, I saw firsthand how important it is to empower all individuals, men and women of all ages, to make their own choices and control their health and lives,” said Representative Garlick, Vice Chair of the House Committee on Ways & Means. “The federal government, by issuing the first domestic gag rule in the history of our country, targets women, their reproductive choices, and essential preventative health services like STD screening and treatment, breast, cervical, or prostate cancer detection, and HIV testing. I am proud that the House of Representatives is moving deliberately and decisively to ensure the health needs of more than 75,000 Massachusetts residents.”

“I am extremely proud of the timely vote the House took to counter the Trump administration’s dishonorable actions,” said House Speaker Robert DeLeo (Winthrop). “This action builds upon the House’s legacy of supporting women’s reproductive rights and ensures family practice organizations can continue their important work. Thank you to Chairman Michlewitz and the Committee for its quick work on this issue.”

“Over the past few years the House has led the way on women’s health issues,” said Representative Aaron Michlewitz (Boston), Chair of the House Committee on Ways & Means. “Once again Washington has fallen short in this area and once again, by fully funding Title X, Massachusetts is ready and willing to fill the needed gap.”

In November 2017, the House of Representatives voted to pass legislation to ensure that no matter what happens at the federal level, insurers in MA will be mandated to continue to provide contraceptives without copays or deductibles. In July 2018, the House of Representatives voted to pass legislation repealing unconstitutional laws that impose criminal penalties for abortion and contraception in Massachusetts.

Both bills were passed into law.