Trump Administration’s Unconstitutional Contraception Rules Blocked by Federal Court
Trump Administration’s Unconstitutional Contraception Rules Blocked by Federal Court
(PRESS RELEASE) – In a victory for women’s health and reproductive rights, a federal judge in Pennsylvania today blocked the Trump administration from enforcing interim final rules that would allow virtually any employer or university to claim a religious or moral objection to refuse to cover contraception for employees and students.
“Access to contraception has been pivotal for women’s ability to participate fully in the economic and social life of this country,” said Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights. “Today a court recognized that a woman’s right to make her own decisions about her health, family and future should never be subject to the personal opinions or objections of her employer.”
Several challenges, including one mounted by the Center for the Reproductive Rights, have been filed against the Trump Administration rules. The rules—which were issued by the Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and the Treasury—create a broad exemption that enables employers, health insurance providers, and universities claiming a religious or moral objection to deny their employees, students, and insurance beneficiaries coverage for contraception. The ruling issued today came in a challenge brought by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Under the Affordable Care Act, women are guaranteed coverage for birth control with no copay.
The rules would will effectively deny countless women coverage based on the personal objections of their employers, universities, or insurers. Last week, the Center for Reproductive Rights, along with more than a dozen leading reproductive and civil rights organizations, members of Congress, and allies delivered over a half-million public comments on behalf of individuals from all 50 states to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) opposing the rules.
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