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Statement on the Resignation of Dr. Susan Orr and Possible Changes to Title X
05/21/2008 - Mary Jane Gallagher, President and CEO
National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association
We are certainly relieved that a known opponent of access to contraception like Dr. Susan Orr is resigning from her position as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Population Affairs (DASPA), the position which oversees the only dedicated federal program for family planning services for low-income and uninsured people. Prior to joining the Bush Administration, Dr. Orr was the Senior Director for Marriage and Family Care at the Family Research Council, an organization well-known for its efforts to limit access to contraception.
However, her departure does not end our concerns about recent reports indicating that the Bush Administration is seriously considering harmful regulations on a critical federal family planning program like Title X. If implemented, these changes could severely harm the health of millions of American women and men by limiting access to family planning services.
Health care providers should never be subject to political whims, yet here is another example of the Bush Administration attempting to put ideology ahead of sound science. With nearly 90 percent of Americans in support of federal funding for family planning services for low-income and uninsured Americans, our country requires an administrator for this program who is dedicated to increasing access to counseling, education, contraception and preventive health services for those most in need.
Restricting access to these services is not the way to achieve the universal goal of reducing the number of unintended pregnancies and the need for abortion in this country, and we will work tirelessly to stop these restrictions and ensure that someone who supports family planning is quickly appointed to this critical post.
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