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Tuesday, Oct 20, 2026

Was Oklahoma denied Title X funding by the Biden administration for not providing patients with abortion information?

Matthew Yim, Oklahoma Watch
yes

In 2023, the Biden Administration withheld Title X grants from Oklahoma and Tennessee because the states refused to provide patients with federally required referrals about abortion services upon request.

The Title X family planning program, enacted in 1970 in part to reduce unwanted pregnancies, provides accessible contraceptives, pregnancy tests, cancer screenings, pregnancy counseling, and other services, helping 25,000 Oklahomans per year.

Abortion referral rules have varied under different administrations; referrals have been required, banned, and are now allowed only upon request. Though this could misalign with states’ abortion laws, only Oklahoma and Tennessee refused to include on-request abortion referral hotlines. Other states with bans have continued to follow federal rules and receive funding.

The U.S. Supreme Court rejected Oklahoma’s emergency application to restore the $4.5 million in federal grants in 2024, but the Trump Administration restored nearly $2 million of it to the state in April 2025.

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