,,iii #aaeth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 ,,res4 #ebf ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,may #bd1 #bjah ,mrs4 ,murray 7for herself1 ,ms4 ,baldwin1 and ,mrs4 ,gillibrand7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,health1 ,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions ,,resolution ,expressing the sense of the ,senate that politicians should not interfere with a woman's personal health care decisions or attempt to prevent providers from offering their full medical recommendations to their patients4 ,whereas1 since the enactment of title ,x of the ,public ,health ,service ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #cjj et seq47 7referred to in this preamble as the title ,x family planning program7 nearly half a century ago1 the title ,x family planning program has provided family planning and related preventive health care services to those most in need and has enjoyed broad bipartisan support2 ,whereas the title ,x family planning program was created to assist in making comprehensive voluntary family planning services readily available to all individuals desiring those services and to enable public and nonprofit private entities to plan and develop comprehensive programs that provide those family planning services2 ,whereas the title ,x family planning program serves #d1jjj1jjj individuals each year1 many of whom would otherwise be unable to access the types of health care services supported under the title ,x family planning program2 ,whereas the title ,x family planning program helps ensure that every individual1 regardless of where the individual lives1 how much money the individual earns1 the background of the individual1 or whether or not the individual has health insurance1 has access to basic1 preventive reproductive health care1 such as birth control1 cancer screenings1 sexually transmitted disease testing and treatment1 and well-woman exams2 ,whereas the title ,x family planning program serves a racially and ethnically diverse patient base1 not less than #a_/c of patients served under the title ,x family planning program are people of color1 and #ac percent of patients served under the title ,x family planning program have limited proficiency in ,english2 ,whereas1 for decades1 individuals receiving services supported under the title ,x family planning program have been given the full range of information needed to make fully informed decisions about their own pregnancy options1 including access to safe and legal abortion2 ,whereas efforts to stigmatize abortion care and providers of abortion care undermine the ability of patients to make fully informed health care decisions2 ,whereas the ,code of ,medical ,ethics of the ,american ,medical ,association states that health care providers should present relevant information accurately and sensitively1 in keeping with the patient's preferences and that withholding information without the patient's knowledge or consent is ethically unacceptable2 ,whereas the #aihb report of the ,president's ,commission for the ,study of ,ethical ,problems in ,medicine and in ,biomedical and ,behavioral ,research stated that1 a physician is obliged to mention all alternative treatments1 including those he or she does not provide or favor1 so long as they are supported by respectable medical opinion2 ,whereas any policy that denies a patient seeking care from a health care provider receiving support under the title ,x family planning program full and accurate information on and referral for health care services1 including abortion care1 violates basic medical ethics by forcing the health care provider to withhold health care information from the patient and by denying the basic right of the patient to informed consent2 ,whereas health care providers receiving support under the title ,x family planning program must not be subject to any limitation on providing full and accurate information so that those health care providers may communicate freely with patients and exercise their medical judgment in order to provide the safest and most beneficial medical treatment for each patient2 and ,whereas any policy that seeks to prevent health care providers receiving support under the title ,x family planning program from providing full and accurate information and referral for health care services threatens patient health1 discourages honest conversation1 and undermines the vital relationship between health care providers and patients1 who rely on their health care providers for complete and accurate information3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that it is the sense of the ,senate-- 7#a7 to recognize that the health of a patient should always come first and patients must be able to rely on their health care providers for medically accurate and evidence-based information about the full range of health care options1 including information about access to safe and legal abortion2 7#b7 to urge the development and maintenance of trust between patients and health care providers by protecting the ability of health care providers to give complete medical advice and information in order to ensure no harm to patient health2 7#c7 to encourage efforts to enhance patient quality of care and access to confidential and safe care for all patients2 7#d7 to support efforts to promote the health care safety net2 7#e7 to recognize that any nationwide gag rule prohibiting information flow between patients and health care providers represents a radical departure from how health care has operated in the ,united ,states and fundamentally erodes the right of patients to informed consent and the ability of health care providers to provide appropriate and adequate health care and information2 and 7#f7 to oppose efforts seeking to limit access to1 and full information on1 reproductive health care options in contradiction with the congressional intent underlying title ,x of the ,public ,health ,service ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #cjj et seq474