- Docket No.
- 1:26-cv-02656
- District Court
- District of Columbia
Goal
- Block enforcement of agency action
- Declaration that agency action is unlawful
- Vacate agency action
Issues
Litigation Content
Why This Matters:
Why This Matters:
A non-profit organization that provides sexual and reproductive health care argues that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) unlawfully imposed new conditions on federal funding under the Title X Family Planning Program through its 2027 notice of funding opportunity (NOFO), in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act and the Spending Clause. Under the NOFO, applications must be reviewed to determine whether they align with the agency’s political and ideological agendas, including requirements such as a focus on “fertility awareness,” a preference for “natural family planning methods,” and a disfavoring of contraception. The organization asserts that these conditions exceed HHS’s authority, contradict existing laws, are arbitrary and capricious, did not follow the proper regulatory rulemaking process, and violate the Spending Clause.
Potential Impact:
Potential Impact:
Imposing vague and ideologically-based conditions on federal funding for family planning services will disrupt access to critical health care, such as contraception and the testing and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases, and exacerbate health disparities for reproductive health patients and providers.