Federal judge temporarily blocks Trump contraception rule
It ‘intrudes’ into the lives of women, the judge wrote in her opinion
Adapted from a story by The Washington Post’s Sandhya Somashekhar.
On Friday, a federal judge temporarily blocked a Trump administration rule that allows virtually any business to cite religious or moral objections and opt out of a federal requirement that they cover contraception as part of employee health plans.
The state of Pennsylvania argued that the rule was harmful to working women and would force the state to shoulder the costs of their birth control and unplanned pregnancies.
In a 44-page opinion, U.S. District Judge Wendy Beetlestone in Philadelphia sided with the state:
“The Commonwealth’s concern is . . . women will either forgo contraception entirely or choose cheaper but less effective methods — individual choices which will result in an increase in unintended pregnancies,” Beetlestone wrote, calling the potential harm to women there and nationwide “enormous and irreversible.”
She detailed how the rule could play out. “It would allow an employer with a sincerely held moral conviction that women do not have a place in the workplace to simply stop providing contraceptive coverage,” she wrote. “It is difficult to comprehend a rule that does more to undermine the Contraceptive Mandate or that intrudes more into the lives of women.”
Pennsylvania is one of several states challenging the Trump administration rule. Multiple cases are still moving through the court system, and it is likely that the administration will appeal Friday’s outcome.
Religious-liberty groups, which have lauded President Trump’s efforts to protect people of faith, said they were confident the latest judicial ruling would not withstand scrutiny by other courts.
“We are confident that the appeals court or the Supreme Court will overturn this ruling and ensure that the government can do the right thing and continue to protect religious groups,” Lori Windham, senior counsel at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, said in a statement.
But Beetlestone’s ruling was applauded by lawmakers and other officials who oppose Trump’s efforts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act and hard-won victories on issues of reproductive rights.
“Today is a critical victory for millions of women and families and for the rule of law,” said Josh Shapiro, the attorney general of Pennsylvania. “The harm from this rule was immediate. Women need contraception for their health because contraception is health care, pure and simple.”
