“The regulations proposed today are nothing more than a blatant attempt to undermine women’s access to reproductive health care.  This is a desperate attempt by an Administration in its waning days to impose one set of religious and moral views on the nation’s women, depriving them of their right to make their own informed health care decisions.

This dangerous regulation would give any person physicians, administrative staff, volunteers working at institutions receiving federal funds the right to refuse to provide services, information and counseling to any patient.  The providers who refuse services would have no obligation to refer patients or give them other options for care. 

This draconian regulation means that women can be refused care and information by the very people they trust to provide it.  It undermines the doctor-patient relationship because women will now have to question whether their health care providers are giving them complete and unbiased information, and the best care possible.  It even opens the door to denying patients contraception. 

At a time when women’s health clinics are woefully under-funded, and women in this country experience millions of unintended pregnancies each year, the Bush Administration should be searching for ways to give more women access to the family planning information and services that can help them avoid unintended pregnancy. 

Anti-choice politics and rightwing ideology must not determine health policy in this country.  We urge the Bush Administration to rethink these regulations and instead put more funds into Title X clinics.  There is no need for this regulation, no problem to solve.  It should be withdrawn.”