Fourteen Planned Parenthood sites in Connecticut are affected by a temporary freeze on $1.8 million in federal funding.
Planned Parenthood of Southern New England, which also has one location in Rhode Island, found out about the pause on March 31.
The funding comes from Title X, which funds sexual and reproductive health care for low-income people. It doesn’t fund abortions.
Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz (D) spoke with advocates at the Capitol on Wednesday. She said Connecticut is one of 23 states impacted.
“Withholding these funds is really an attempt to cut off access to birth control, cancer screenings, STI and STD testing and reproductive health care in general,” Bysiewicz said. “This is a major public health concern.”
HHS told TIME they’re pausing the funding while they review possible violations of civil rights laws and an executive order from President Trump that bars undocumented immigrants from getting taxpayer-funded benefits.
Each of the organizations with grants on hold received a letter explaining the reason for the pause, according to an HHS spokesperson. The letter requested documentation within 10 days to assess compliance with grant terms and conditions.
WSHU asked HHS how long the review would take but did not receive an answer.
Gretchen Raffa, PPSNE’s chief policy and advocacy officer, said the pause would hurt the 41,000 people in Connecticut who rely on Title X funding at her organization.
“This decision will have devastating consequences, especially for Black and Latino communities, women, people living in rural areas, and those living with low incomes, the very communities that already face the highest barriers to care,” Raffa said. “This move will only widen those disparities and make it harder, if not impossible, for many people to get the health care they need and they deserve.”
Last month, Connecticut lawmakers allocated $800,000 to Planned Parenthood, citing federal funding uncertainty.
Bysiewicz said the legislature would continue to assess the situation to determine if further state funding is needed.
