ON SECOND THOUGHT

Trump Administration Backtracks on Immediate Compliance of Abortion Restrictions

The administration sent a memo Saturday night to taxpayer-funded clinics that were told earlier they must immediately stop referring patients for abortions.

The Trump administration sent a memo Saturday night to Health and Human Services clinics that had been previously told to immediately cease referring women for abortions that they had more time to comply. The Associated Press reports that the memo promised that, contrary to what it had earlier threatened, the administration “does not intend to bring enforcement actions” against clinics that are making “good-faith efforts to comply.” Last Monday, the Health and Human Services Dept. had said it would require “immediate compliance” to new abortion restrictions for all clinics funded by tax payers. The new rules say that the clinics now have a month to submit a compliance plan that must be implemented by mid September. Several clinics, including those affiliated with Planned Parenthood, are already engaged in lawsuits to try to put a court-ordered stop to the ban.