Augusta, ME – The following is a statement from George Hill, President & CEO of Maine Family Planning:
“The Administration’s dangerous decision to withhold Maine Family Planning’s Title X funds jeopardizes access to critical health care services for thousands of Mainers. Any delay in disbursement of federal grants will have a detrimental effect on our state family planning network and the patients we serve.
“Maine Family Planning’s funding application adheres to the current requirements of the Title X program and regulations, which encompass health equity. As the statewide Title X grantee, we refuse to compromise expert care that Mainers have relied on for more than 50 years. We will fight any attacks on the vital health care we provide Mainers with every tool in our arsenal. That may include litigating to defend the rights of the Title X family planning network in Maine.
“Maine Family Planning will continue to offer the full spectrum of compassionate health care, including abortion care and gender affirming care, which remain legal in Maine. This federal action creates a new sense of urgency for state elected officials to safeguard Maine’s critical family planning network by funding LD 143.”
“We will respond to the Deputy Director of the Office of Population Affairs at HHS prior to their deadline and look forward to their response.”
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About Maine Family Planning
Maine Family Planning is a statewide, private, not-for-profit organization founded more than 50 years ago to assure access to the full range of sexual and reproductive health services for Maine people regardless of their ability to pay. As the statewide grantee for both federal and state funds, Maine Family Planning subcontracts with other sexual and reproductive health care providers to assure access through a total of 61 clinical sites, including 18 Maine Family Planning sites, four Planned Parenthood of Northern New England health centers, eight school-based health centers, and 31 Federally Qualified Health Centers. In 2023, Maine’s Family Planning Network served nearly 36,000 people. Learn more at mainefamilyplanning.org.
