New 2027 guidelines by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will ban key federal abortion funding while favoring fertility education and natural family planning. The April 3 “2027 Notice of Funding Opportunity” for Title X, the federal family planning grant program, bans funds from being used “in programs where abortion is a method of family planning.” This came days after the Trump administration released the fifth and final year of grant funding to Planned Parenthood under Title X.
What makes this year’s criteria unique is that it encourages fertility education in place of contraception. The notice highlighted “fertility-awareness-based methods” or “natural family planning,” a method encouraged by the Catholic Church that involves tracking a woman’s biological markers to determine when ovulation occurs. The notice also promoted “body literacy” on fertility-related conditions, such as “education on menstrual cycle physiology, hormonal health, male and female fertility awareness, and early indicators of reproductive disorders such as endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), thyroid dysfunction, metabolic disorders, and other conditions.”
The 2027 plan is not prioritizing contraception funding; instead the government said contraception is part of an overreliance on “pharmaceutical and surgical treatments.” The health department noted that fewer women than in previous years are using contraception (54% of reproductive-age women) and that “the most common reason women reported discontinuing use related to dissatisfaction was side effects.” HHS said it will focus instead on “underlying behavioral and lifestyle factors of health—such as nutrition, sleep, physical activity, stress management, and environmental factors.”
The White House stated that “the administration remains committed to realigning the Title X program with the president’s pro-life and pro-family agenda going forward.” HHS also teased a new pro-family grant that will be announced soon, stating it will “prioritize life and promote the pro-family agenda.”
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www.ncregister.com/cna/new-directives-by-hhs-promote-nfp-in-funding