Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2-1992
ISSN
0090-0036
Publisher
American Public Health Association
Language
en-US
Abstract
On May 23, 1991, the US Supreme Court upheld federal regulations that prohibit federally funded family planning programs from counseling about or referring for abortion. As a result, government benefits may now entail substantial costs. The regulations changed the nature of government-assisted family planning from comprehensive care and counseling to limited services and government-prescribed information. The reasoning in Rust v Sullivan allows government to limit freedom of speech in federally funded programs. The decision may have been influenced by antiabortion sentiment, but it does not affect the legality of abortion. Instead, it sets a precedent for government control of whether and how health care can be discussed wherever government pays some of the bills.
Recommended Citation
Wendy K. Mariner,
Mum's the Word: The Supreme Court and Family Planning
,
82
American Journal of Public Health
296
(1992).
Available at:
https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.82.2.296
