20 States Plan To Sue HHS Over Efforts To Restrict Abortion Access

SACRAMENTO, CA - MARCH 07: California Attorney General Xavier Becerra speaks during a press conference at the California State Capitol on March 7, 2018 in Sacramento, California. The press conference came in response... SACRAMENTO, CA - MARCH 07: California Attorney General Xavier Becerra speaks during a press conference at the California State Capitol on March 7, 2018 in Sacramento, California. The press conference came in response to an earlier speech by U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions at a nearby hotel and the Justice Department's decision to sue the State of California over its controversial sanctuary policies for undocumented immigrants. (Photo by Stephen Lam/Getty Images) MORE LESS
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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — California and several other Democratic-led states announced they were challenging the Trump administration’s effort to set up obstacles for women seeking abortions, including barring taxpayer-funded family planning clinics from referring patients to abortion providers.

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced Monday that the state filed a federal lawsuit in San Francisco that aims to block a new family planning rule from the U.S. Health and Human Services Department. The rule shifts millions of dollars from Planned Parenthood to faith-based family planning organizations.

Washington, D.C., and 19 states said they would sue separately in Oregon on Tuesday. The states are: Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Wisconsin.

Washington’s Democratic attorney general also previously said the state would challenge the rule.

Trump administration officials have told abortion opponents that they expected a number of legal challenges to the new family planning rule, which also prohibits federally funded family planning clinics from being housed in the same place as abortion providers.

The changes to the federal family planning program are scheduled to go into effect in May unless blocked in court.

California’s attorney general said the new rule affects 4 million mostly low-income women nationwide and 1 million women in California.

“The Trump-Pence administration has doubled down on its attacks on women’s health,” Becerra said.

The lawsuit in California is the latest of dozens of legal challenges that it and other states led by Democrats have filed in a bid to block Trump administration policies.

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Notable Replies

  1. That thrilling feeling ya get from restricting any help to little kids just isn’t the same
    when there are less of them —

  2. The rule shifts millions of dollars from Planned Parenthood to faith-based family planning organizations.

    So will there be exactly the same number of faith-based family planning organizations as there are faiths represented in the US? Will women be able to choose which faith-based planning clinic they can go to?
    Satanic Temple are you organizing now?

  3. I’m guessing it’s the same States suing Dotard over his Fake Border Emergency?

  4. Good. Keep tying this crap up in court. I have zero problem with that.

  5. These states which immediately go after trumPP’s unconstitutional policies seem to be The Usual Suspects, American style.

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