Another Court Strikes Down Trump’s Harmful Attack on Birth Control

Washington, DC –– Today, a federal district court in California ruled to block the Trump administration’s birth control rules nationwide, in case brought by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, and joined by Delaware Attorney General Matthew Denn, Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, and Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring.

This ruling comes days after a federal district court in Pennsylvania granted a preliminary injunction against the Trump administration’s birth control rule as a result of a lawsuit filed by Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro. In today’s ruling, the court not only ruled that the Trump’s attack on birth control violates rulemaking procedure, but explained that “for a substantial number of women, the [birth control rules] transform contraceptive coverage from a legal entitlement to an essentially gratuitous benefit wholly subject to their employer’s discretion.”

Statement from Dawn Laguens, Executive Vice President, Planned Parenthood Federation of America:

Thank you to attorneys general around the country for fighting to protect access to birth control.

“Two courts have made clear what we knew from the beginning –– the Trump administration’s attacks on birth control violate federal law.

“It’s not up to the President, or any elected official, to decide what women do with their bodies. It is a fundamental freedom to be able to decide if and when to have a child. Women around the country need everyone — business leaders, politicians, artists, activists, and families across the nation — to stand up and join the fight for birth control access and reproductive rights, including safe, legal abortion.

In October, the Trump administration announced a sweeping new rule that went into effect immediately to eliminate the Affordable Care Act’s requirement that ensured no-copay birth control coverage for all women, including women whose employers or schools can legally opt out of providing that coverage. This puts access to birth control at risk for 62.4 million people. The Trump administration’s rule allows corporations and colleges to opt out of the requirement based on poorly defined criteria. Planned Parenthood launched the #Fight4BirthControl campaign in response to the rule, and more than 528,000 people submitted comments to HHS in opposition to the Trump administration’s attack on birth control coverage, which was challenged in court not just by Attorney General Shapiro, but also by the attorneys general of California (joined by the attorneys general from Delaware, Maryland, New York, and Virginia), Massachusetts, and Washington, as well as several advocacy groups. Several additional attorneys general have also spoken out against this rule.

According to a new survey from PerryUndem, an overwhelming majority of Americans believe women should have birth control coverage and think women should be able to get birth control coverage through their health insurance even if their bosses morally disagree with the idea of birth control. This puts the Trump administration in direct opposition with the overwhelming majority of voters.

In addition to the #Fight4BirthControl grassroots campaign, a growing number of business leaders are making a public pledge to guarantee their employees’ birth control coverage as a part of Planned Parenthood’s #BusinessForBC campaign. Medical experts and public health leaders like the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Public Health Association have come out in opposition to the rules. People can go to www.fightforbirthcontrol.org to find out more or join the campaign.

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Planned Parenthood is one of the nation’s leading providers and advocates of high-quality, affordable health care for women, men, and young people, as well as the nation’s largest provider of sex education. With more than 600 health centers across the country, Planned Parenthood organizations serve all patients with care and compassion, with respect and without judgment. Through health centers, programs in schools and communities, and online resources, Planned Parenthood is a trusted source of reliable health information that allows people to make informed health decisions. We do all this because we care passionately about helping people lead healthier lives.