No funds for US clinics which discuss abortion

Washington, May 18: The Trump administration will resurrect a Reagan-era rule that would ban federally-funded family planning clinics from discussing abortion with women, or sharing space with abortion providers, a senior White House official said on Thursday.

The Department of Health and Human Services will be announcing its proposal on Friday, the official said on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to confirm the plans before the announcement.

The policy has been derided as a “gag rule” by abortion rights supporters and medical groups, and it is likely to trigger lawsuits that could keep it from taking effect. However, it’s guaranteed to galvanise activists on both sides of the abortion debate ahead of the congressional midterm elections.

The Reagan-era rule never went into effect as written, although the Supreme Court ruled that it was an appropriate use of executive power.

The policy was rescinded under President Bill Clinton, and a new rule went into effect which required “nondirective” counselling to include a range of options for women.

Abortion is a legal medical procedure. Doctors’ groups and abortion rights supporters say a ban on counselling women trespasses on the doctor-patient relationship.

They point out that federal family planning funds cannot be currently used to pay for abortion procedures.