Menendez, Booker announce $8 million in funding for family planning services

U.S. Sens. Bob Menendez and Cory Booker, both Democrats, announced on Thursday $8.3 million in federal funding for the New Jersey Family Planning League (NJFPL) from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to support family planning services throughout the state.
The funding comes weeks after the Trump Administration announced plans to drastically change the Title X Family Planning Program, which provides grants to fund reproductive health care services, by imposing a domestic gag rule on Title X providers. There are 47 Title X service providers in New Jersey that treated nearly 110,000 individuals last year.
“Since Donald Trump took the oath of office, women’s health care has been under constant and unrelenting attack. This Administration, along with Congressional Republicans, fail to realize the sheer importance of programs such as Title X, which provides critical reproductive health services to thousands of low-income New Jersey families,” Menendez said in a statement.
“This funding will allow dozens of health care providers in our state to continue offering high quality and affordable care, such as gynecological exams, cancer, sexually transmitted infection and HIV screenings, and contraceptive services. The Administration’s attacks on Title X will disproportionality impact low-income women and women of color. It’s wrong, morally repugnant, and I will fight it every step of the way,” Menendez continued.
Booker said that funding for the New Jersey Family Planning League is critical to ensuring that women and families in New Jersey continue to have access to vital family planning and preventative health services, including breast cancer screenings, STD testing, and access to birth control.
“At a time when access to quality health care for underserved individuals is under attack, I am pleased to see New Jersey receive much deserved federal resources to continue providing essential services,” Booker said.
"Our provider agencies offer critical health services to low-income patients across the state and are committed to providing comprehensive, high quality, patient-centered care that has been central to the Title X program for close to 50 years,” said Joseph Alifante, president and chief executive officer, New Jersey Family Planning League.
“We are deeply concerned about the potential impact of the new Title X rule on this statewide network and the thousands of women, men, and teens who rely on family planning providers for affordable, quality health care,” said Alifante.
 
The NJFPL provides access to quality family planning and related health services for all New Jerseyans who need them. NJFPL is a direct grantee for Title X, state family planning, and other funds; and supports ten family planning agencies providing services in all 21 counties at 47 health centers. The network of agencies in NJFPL's service delivery system reflects a diverse and vital component of the state's public health infrastructure for low-income women, men, and adolescents.

CREDIT: Jessica Perry