WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is giving taxpayer-funded family planning clinics more time to comply with its new rule that says they no longer can refer women for abortions.
That’s according to a notice sent Saturday night to representatives of the clinics by the Department of Health and Human Services. A copy was provided to The Associated Press.
The department had said last Monday that it would require immediate compliance. That caught clinics off guard and led Planned Parenthood and other providers to say they would defy the order.
The latest timetable says clinics must submit a compliance plan next month, and by mid-September must show they’re carrying out the new requirements.
It’s unclear how clinics will react because they’re also challenging the administration in court.
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