Children are protected from abortion in Oklahoma except in cases when the mother's life is in danger. Additionally, the OSDH does not refer women for elective abortions. The latter point was highlighted by US Sen James Lankford (R) in a joint letter from Oklahoma's congressional delegation to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra.
The delegation demanded immediate reinstallation of the Title X grant, arguing that the HHS was "discriminating against OSDH for refusing to refer for abortions."
"Section 1008 of the Public Health Services Act, which authorizes Title X grant funding, explicitly prohibits funds from being‘used in programs where abortion is a method of family planning.’The same sentiment is reiterated each year as a condition of Title X appropriations, which states that Title X funds‘shall not be expended for abortions.’Nevertheless, HHS has chosen to prioritize abortion instead of prioritizing actual health care, by suspending Title X funding awarded to OSDH because of its obligation to abide by federal law and the state laws of Oklahoma. It is absurd that HHS is suspending funds previously granted to OSDH for its refusal to refer for a procedure that the underlying federal statute explicitly forbids...Abortion is not family planning; it is family destruction. Every abortion takes an unborn child’s life. Oklahoma’s laws protect women and unborn children from the violence of abortion in the interest of promoting families, keeping Oklahomans safe, and protecting life. OSDH’s decision to follow federal and state law by protecting unborn life and seeking the welfare of individual patients and their families is a noble one. OPA’s determination of noncompliance is jeopardizing the health care of Oklahomans and has no legitimate legal foundation. Rather, HHS is interpreting laws and regulations through a political lens and ignoring clear parameters of the statutes enacted by Congress.Oklahomans rely on OSDH’s family planning program for Title X family planning services including cancer screenings, pregnancy prevention, STI diagnostics and treatment, breast exams, and depression screenings and referrals, among a multitude of other services. OPA’s decision to suspend OSDH’s award will severely limit Oklahoman’s access to these services. In doing this, HHS is disregarding one of its own stated goals to ‘protect and strengthen equitable access to high quality and affordable health care.’HHS cannot simply will words to mean what they do not; we are a country governed by the rule of law. When the law says ’no funds,’ Congress really means ‘no funds.’"
