Fact Check: Could millions of Americans lose access to birth control due to Trump's decision?
WASHINGTON, DC: In mid-March, social media posts and certain news outlets alleged that millions of Americans could lose access to birth control due to decisions made by President Donald Trump's administration.
The rumor went viral on Facebook, as well as through news articles and opinion pieces. But is there any truth to this viral claim? Let us find out below.
Claim: Millions of Americans could lose access to birth control
An image widely shared via one Facebook post read, "Millions of Americans May Lose Access to Birth Control as Trump Administration Sabotages 60-Year Program."
The caption of the viral post read, "For a year now, the Trump administration has been trying to kill a nearly 60-year-old program that provides birth control, cancer screenings, and STI testing to millions of Americans. The program is called Title X. It was championed by then-Congressman George HW Bush, signed into law by President Nixon in 1970, and passed the Senate unanimously. It was entirely uncontroversial for decades. And this administration has tried every tool it has to shut it down."
"Last spring, the Trump administration withheld $65.8 million in grants from a quarter of the network - and lost in court. During the October shutdown, it fired the entire HHS staff that runs the program -- and was forced to rehire them. Then Trump proposed eliminating Title X entirely in his 2026 budget - and Congress said no and maintained the funding," the caption added.
Fact Check: True, Trump administration delayed funding process
The claim made in the viral Facebook post is true, as the Trump administration delayed the funding process for reproductive care health centers that, in 2023, served about 2.8 million low-income and uninsured Americans, many of whom rely on the centers for birth control.
Interestingly, the delay could result in these clinics' inability to provide the same level of care or any care at all.
Kat Mavengere, spokesperson for the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association, a nonpartisan membership group that represents the health centers, told Snopes, "If funding doesn't flow quickly, health centers could ultimately be forced to limit hours or types of services, lay off health providers and staff, or close their doors entirely."
Mavengere added that many providers may not close their doors, but the services they provide could be limited or more expensive.
Notably, the affected clinics are part of a federally funded program called Title X, which provides $286 million in grants to public and nonprofit health centers that offer birth control and other reproductive care to people without health insurance. The services are free for low-income patients.
