When President Bush implemented a dangerous rule that allows health care providers to deny patients vital health care information and services based on their own personal biases, Planned Parenthood supporters snapped into action. This is a timeline of the story.
Fighting to Overturn Bush's Attack on Women's Health
Fall 2008
The Bush administration signaled its intent to implement a rule that would allow individual health care providers to deny patients vital health care information and services based on their own personal biases, without the patient even knowing. More than 200,000 people — including more than 90,000 Planned Parenthood supporters like you — and 150 members of Congress called on the Bush administration to withdraw this damaging rule.
December 2008
Just before leaving office, the Bush administration disregarded the public outcry and implemented the rule as one of a range of “midnight regulations.” A woman's ability to manage her own health care was compromised by politics and ideology.
January 2009
Planned Parenthood Federation of America fought back by filing a lawsuit with Planned Parenthood of Connecticut in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut, asking the court to invalidate the administrative regulation finalized in December by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Roger Evans, senior director, PPFA Public Policy Litigation and Law, gives us the truth behind Bush’s last-minute regulation.
February 2009
The New York Times reported that the Obama administration would take the first step toward rescinding the Bush administration’s final attack on women’s health.
March 2009
President Barack Obama began the process of overturning the midnight regulation when the Department of Health and Human Services proposed a new rule to rescind it. In the proposed rule, the department expressed the importance of ensuring that any regulation in this area is consistent with Obama administration policy, and sought to address a number of concerns that had been raised about the midnight regulation. These concerns included that the midnight regulation would limit access to patient care, that individuals could be denied access to services, and that its effects would be felt disproportionately by low-income women, those in rural areas, and those who are otherwise underserved. HHS gave the public 30 days to comment on the proposed rescission and specifically asked for comments on these concerns.
President Cecile Richards urged supporters to comment on the rule.
April 2009
Now that the comment period has closed, the Obama administration will review comments received on its proposal to rescind the damaging HHS regulation. In response to another overwhelming call to reverse this regulation from more than 68,133 Planned Parenthood activists, members of Congress, and state elected officials (including 17 attorneys general), we hope that the Obama administration will fully rescind this dangerous regulation soon.
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