The Reagan Administration, which announced last year that it would halt its efforts to force federally funded clinics to notify the parents of minors who receive prescription birth-control measures, is defending its original position in a related legal dispute.
Saying that the original notification rule was “substantially justified,” the government argues in court papers filed in federal court this month that a coalition of family-planning groups should not be reimbursed for their costs in challenging the rule.
The plaintiffs have filed claims seeking about $290,000 for lawyers’ fees and other costs in the suit.
The rule was issued in early 1983, and was subsequently struck down by two federal judges. The Administration argues that the judges’ decision does not alter the “reasonableness” of its position.
