California Judge blocks Trump’s birth control policy

A California judge has blocked new Trump administration regulations on birth control.

The policy was set to go into effect nationwide Monday, but that's been put on hold for 13 states and the District of Columbia, which challenged the rule in court.

The U.S. Department of Justice said in court documents the rules “protect a narrow class of sincere religious and moral objectors from being forced to facilitate practices that conflict with their beliefs.”

But the judge granted an injunction stopping it applying in jurisdictions which are challenging the policy.

While Judge Haywood Gilliam did not make a final decision, he said the rules could mean a "substantial number" of women would lose birth control coverage, a "massive policy shift" which could breach federal law.

Gilliam limited the scope of the ruling to the plaintiffs, rejecting their request that he block the rules nationwide.

Fifty-five million women benefited from the original Obama-era rule, which made companies provide free birth control.

Before taking office, President Donald Trump pledged to eliminate the requirement.

California attorney general Xavier Becerra said in a statement: “Today’s court ruling stops another attempt by the Trump Administration to trample on women’s access to basic reproductive care. It’s 2019, yet the Trump Administration is still trying to roll back women’s rights. Our coalition will continue to fight to ensure women have access to the reproductive healthcare they are guaranteed under the law.”

Trump's rule change could force state governments to provide additional birth control coverage, Becerra said, and pay health costs arising from unplanned pregnancies.

The judge's ruling blocks the policy from taking effect in California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and the District of Columbia.

The mandate requiring birth control coverage had been a key feature of so-called Obamacare - President Obama's efforts to overhaul the US healthcare system.

While the requirement included a provision letting religious institutions forgo birth control coverage for their employees, President Trump's rule change widened the number of employers and insurers who could opt out, including on the grounds of "moral convictions".

Conservative and religious groups welcomed the shift, while civil rights and health groups have criticized the change.