Bound and gagged: America's family planning network

During the past decade, the number of family planning clinics receiving support from the federal government has fallen from 5,000 to 4,000 despite a growing demand for their services among poor women and teenagers. At the same time, family planning providers have been under regulatory attack, forced to fend off a "squeal rule" aimed at teenagers and to stop a "gag rule" preventing abortion referral. With the climate in Washington unlikely to change, family planners should consider integrating other services into their network or press to include family planning in other care networks. A new national commission could help break the logjam on federal legislation.