As U.S. birth rate falls, Trump officials downplay contraception in Title X program

HealthWatch As U.S. birth rate falls, Trump officials downplay contraception in family planning program .chip { background-image: url('/fly/bundles/cbsnewscore/images/chip-bgd/chip-bgd-healthwatch.jpg'); } By Dr. Céline Gounder Dr. Céline Gounder Medical Correspondent Dr. Céline Gounder, an internist, epidemiologist and infectious disease specialist, is a CBS News medical correspondent as well as senior fellow and editor-at-large for public health at KFF Health News. Read Full Bio Dr. Céline Gounder April 16, 2026 / 5:00 AM EDT / KFF Health News Add CBS News on Google The number of babies born in the United States fell again last year.According to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were 3.6 million births in 2025, a 1% decline from 2024. The fertility rate dropped to 53.1 births per 1,000 women ages 15 to 44, down 23% since 2007.The Trump administration has said it wants to reverse this trend. President Trump has called for "a new baby boom," and aides have solicited proposals from outside advocates and policy groups ranging from baby bonuses to expanded fertility planning. The administration is also proposing to reshape the federal government's only dedicated family planning program: Title X.For more than five decades, Title X has been geared — with bipartisan support — toward giving low-income women access to contraception, screening for sexually transmitted infections, and reproductive health care regardless of ability to pay. At its peak, the safety net program served more than 5 million patients a year. Six in 10 Title X clients have reported the program as their sole source of health care in a given year.In early April, the Department of Health and Human Services invited nonprofit organizations to apply for Title X grants for fiscal year 2027, which begins in October. The 67-page Notice of Funding Opportunity included only one mention of contraception — describing it as overprescrib...