Federal judge dismisses lawsuit over Title X grant funding for pregnancy prevention efforts

A federal judge in Pennsylvania on Thursday dismissed a lawsuit challenging changes to the way grants are awarded under a program that provides funding for services such as family planning and reproductive health wellness exams.

The National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association and the Family Health Council of Central Pennsylvania filed the lawsuit in June, alleging that U.S. Health and Human Services was politicizing the Title X grant funding program and violating the intent of the law with its new process for evaluating applications.

U.S. District Judge Jennifer P. Wilson, an appointee of President Donald Trump, said the family planning organizations that filed the lawsuit did not present a “sufficiently concrete harm” in their case and dismissed it.

Trump changes pregnancy-prevention program to promote childbearing

“… What plaintiffs face is uncertainty over how to best apply for a federal grant, and that is not a sufficient hardship to create a justiciable controversy,” Wilson wrote in her ruling.

Stateline previously reported that according to the complaint, the case was initially assigned to U.S. District Judge Yvette Kane, an appointee of former President Bill Clinton, but the case was reassigned the same day to Wilson.

Congress established the Title X grant program in 1970 to serve low-income or uninsured people, including those who make too much to qualify for Medicaid, who may not otherwise have access to family planning and reproductive health services. Typical services at Title X-funded clinics include contraception, pregnancy tests, testing for sexually transmitted infections and wellness exams. Abortion services cannot be covered by Title X dollars.

The complaint argued that the federal agency’s 2027 funding round, which opened in April and closes in January, requires all applicants to meet an “alignment review” to determine their eligibility for funding. Applicants are required to align their work with the priorities laid out by HHS and associated federal agencies, which includes a commitment to ending diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and gender-affirming care. 

The complaint also said the agency requirements conflicted with the law, which states that factors such as how many patients would be served by an applicant must be considered as well.

According to a news release from the American Civil Liberties Union, which assisted in representing the organizations in the case, HHS removed the provision stating it could reject applicants for failing to meet the alignment review.  

Contraception services dropped after ‘defunding’ provision hit clinics

The Trump administration’s funding notice also shifts the focus of the Title X grants from expanding access to services such as contraception to achieving healthy pregnancies and strengthening family formation. It also directs clinics to promote natural methods of family planning, such as menstrual cycle tracking, which is less effective than contraception at preventing pregnancy, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Clare Coleman, president and CEO of the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association, told Stateline in June that the process was designed to favor new applicants who had never applied for funds before. That could include religious organizations such as crisis pregnancy centers and major Catholic health systems. 

“At a time when people across the country are struggling with high costs, this administration is trying to force health care providers to adhere to its political priorities to secure federal funding,” Coleman said in a statement on Friday. “While this federal court ruling is a significant setback, NFPRHA and its members will continue to prioritize nationally recognized clinical standards, evidence-based best practices, and patient experience in delivering Title X-funded care, over demands for ideological alignment.”  

Stateline has reached out to HHS for comment about the case.

Stateline reporter Kelcie Moseley-Morris can be reached at [email protected].