102d Congress, 2d Session Senate Document 102-28

VETO—S. 323

MESSAGE

FROM

THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

RETURNING

WITHOUT MY APPROVAL S. 323, THE FAMILY PLANNING

AMENDMENTS ACT OF 1992

S eptem ber 26, 1992.—Ordered to be printed

59-011

U.s. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

WASHINGTON : 1992
To the Senate o f the United States:

I am returning herewith without my approval S. 323, the “Family Planning Amendments Act of 1992.” This legislation would extend and amend the Federal family planning program under title X of the Public Health Service Act. If the scope of S. 323 were limited to family planning, I would approve it. My Administration has an excellent record in support of family planning. About this there can be no question. Our ap­ proach to reauthorizing title X was embodied in a bill transmitted to the Congress on February 25, 1991. We need a family planning program to deliver preventive, pre-pregnancy services. Unfortunately, S. 323 is unacceptable because it would override current regulations that are designed to maintain the title X pro­ gram's integrity as a pre-pregnancy family planning program. The bill would require projects supported by title X family planning funds to counsel pregnant women on, and refer them for, abortions. Such a requirement is totally alien to the purpose of the title X program. Title X is a quality health care program that provides pre-pregnancy family planning information and services and refers pregnant women to health care providers who can ensure continui­ ty of care. Under current regulations, upheld by the United States Supreme Court, pregnant women who seek services from clinics funded by title X would be referred to qualified providers for prenatal care and other social services, including counseling. Moreover, nothing in these regulations prevents a woman from receiving complete medical information about her condition from a physician. The Su­ preme Court specifically found that the regulations regarding the title X program in no way violated free speech rights. In a memorandum to Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Louis Sullivan on November 5, 1991, I reiterated my commitment to preserving the confidentiality of the doctor/patient relationship. In that memorandum, I also repeated my commit­ ment to ensuring that the operation of the title X family planning program is compatible with free speech and the highest standards of medical care. My memorandum makes clear that there is no “gag rule” to interfere with the doctor/patient relationship. There can be no doubt that my Administration is committed to the pro­ tection of free speech. I have repeatedly informed the Congress that I would disapprove any legislation that would transform this program into a vehicle for the promotion of abortion. Unfortunately, the Congress has seen fit to entangle this family planning program in the politics of abortion. I believe that the title X family planning program should be re­ authorized. I now urge the Congress to adopt a bill that promotes true family planning rather than requiring Federal tax dollars to

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be used in a manner that promotes abortion as a method of birth control.

George Bush.

The White House, September 25, 1992.

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