Statement attributable to:

David O. Barbe, M.D.

President, American Medical Association

“The AMA objects strongly to the administration’s plan to withhold federal family planning funding from Planned Parenthood and other entities. We are particularly alarmed about government interference with the patient-physician relationship in the exam room.

“High-quality medical care relies on honest, unfiltered conversations between patients and their physicians. Gag orders that restrict the ability of physicians to explain all options to their patients and refer them — whatever their health care needs — compromise this relationship and force physicians and nurses to withhold information that their patients need to make decisions about their care.

“In addition, the Title X program ensures that every person — regardless of where they live, how much money they make, their background, or whether or not they have health insurance — has access to basic, preventive reproductive health care, such as birth control, cancer screenings, STI testing and treatment, and exams. This national program serves 4 million people each year — many of whom would otherwise be unable to access this health care.

“Title X is popular, successful, and has had bipartisan support for decades. We are at a 30-year low for unintended pregnancy and a historic low for pregnancy among teenagers — largely because of expanded access to birth control. We should not be walking that progress back.”