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Minors need confidential access to birth control

Every Body Texas submits Amicus brief to U. S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit in Deanda v. Becerra

May 1, 2023

Every Body Texas submitted an amicus brief to the U. S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit in Deanda v. Becerra. In the amicus brief, Every Body Texas argues that the court overstepped its authority to change federal rules concerning minors’ access to confidential contraceptive care by subverting the Administrative Procedures Act. The court’s decision would push the organization and its providers to “ignore decades of settled legal precedent and deny care to thousands of adolescents in direct violation of Congress’s express mandates and decades of settled precedent.”

Every Body Texas has served as the statewide administrator of Title X since 2013 and funds a network of more than 30 agencies with over 150 clinic sites across the state. Nearly 200,000 Texas residents access critical sexual and reproductive healthcare services like birth control, STI testing and treatment, and testing for breast and cervical cancer from a clinic funded by Every Body Texas each year.

“Confidential access to care has been a cornerstone of the Title X program since its earliest days more than 50 years ago,” said Stephanie LeBleu, Acting Director for Title X. “Most minors who are seen by our clinics involve their parents or a trusted adult. But for teens who seek confidential care, Title X clinics have supported them in making informed choices about their own health and well-being in a safe and trusted environment. Young people who seek confidential care are making responsible decisions for themselves.”

Access to birth control plays a critical role in promoting reproductive justice and equity, particularly for young people working to make the best decisions for their futures. The ability to decide if, when, and how to become a parent and to be able to safely make decisions about your own body is a right that must be afforded to all people. At Every Body Texas we continue to fight for a world where all people can access safe, high-quality, unbiased sexual and reproductive healthcare.

Read the full brief here

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