May 30, 2018

Courts criticize cuts to HHS' teen pregnancy program

Sam Baker

The US Department of Health and Human Services building — Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

HHS has now lost four lawsuits over its controversial decision to end a teen pregnancy program. A judge in Seattle ruled yesterday that HHS had not followed its own rules and procedures when it eliminated the program.

The intrigue: Congress created the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program in 2010, and provided more than $100 million for HHS to give out in grants. Seattle was among the cities that received a new round of funding in 2015, but, in 2017, the new administration abruptly put an end to the program.

“HHS’s failure to articulate any explanation for its action, much less a reasoned one based on relevant factors, exemplifies arbitrary and capricious agency action,” the court said.
NBC News, citing internal HHS notes and emails, has reported that “three appointees with strict pro-abstinence beliefs … guided the process to end a program many medical professionals credit with helping to bring the nation’s teen pregnancy rate to an all-time low.”

What’s next: The Seattle judge told HHS to reconsider the grant request, and make any relevant funding available by August.

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Courts criticize cuts to HHS' teen pregnancy program

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