Pennsylvania joins lawsuit over Trump's abortion 'gag rule'

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania is joining 19 other states in a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s move to restrict taxpayer-funded family planning clinics from referring women for abortions.

Attorney General Josh Shapiro joined the lawsuit filed Tuesday in an Oregon federal court challenging what critics call the “gag rule.”

Shapiro, a Democrat, says it imposes unlawful and unethical restrictions on health care professionals. The state of California sued separately, as did the American Medical Association and Planned Parenthood.

Shapiro says the federal Title X program has never funded abortions in Pennsylvania.

Shapiro says dozens of agencies and clinics that receive Title X funds help women get essential health care services such as contraception, preventive care and cancer screenings, and are estimated to prevent thousands of abortions each year in Pennsylvania.