Listen to this articleA U.S federal judge in California blocked new rules of Trump administration that would have allowed more employers to opt out of providing women with free birth control. The preliminary injunction from U.S District Judge Haywood Gilliam applies to California. Gilliam rejected the plaintiffs’ request to issue a nationwide injunction for 12 other states and Washington D.C. The case stems from a modification of a requirement of the Trump administration under the Affordable Care Act that birth control treatment is covered at no additional cost to employees.
The law provides an exception for religious organizations, but the Trump administration widened those exemptions in October 2017. He added moral convictions as legitimate grounds to opt out of covering birth control services. California and other states sued the administration over the changes. They were arguing that they violated the Affordable Care Act’s anti-discrimination provisions. The states further said that the new rules would force women to rely on state-funded programs and lead to an increase in unintended pregnancies.
The new policy on birth control coverage is set to take effect Jan. 14 after the Trump administration finalized the interim rules in November. Gilliam’s injunction is limited to states that are party to the lawsuit. The regulations will still apply to employers in 37 other states. Prior to his limited order, Gilliam had already granted a nationwide injunction against the interim birth control rules. The 9th Circuit upheld the first injunction in December but limited it to the 5 states that were pursuing the case at the time. The original plaintiffs then added 8 more states and the District of Columbia to the lawsuit and asked for a 2nd nationwide order.
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