The Trump Administration issued a new rule eviscerating the contraception coverage mandate of the Affordable Care Act.
“We’re experiencing an unprecedented attack on contraception in this country, despite having full knowledge of all the public health benefits, and cost-savings, of ensuring contraception is widely available,” says Carol E. Tracy, Executive Director of the Women’s Law Project. “Contraception reduces unplanned pregnancies and abortion rates, and infant and maternal mortality rates. We’re dealing with a strategic effort to sabotage the health of women and children here.”
Contraception is standard medical care that has helped more than 99% of American women who have been sexually active to prevent pregnancy and treat medical conditions such as dysmenorrhea, menorrhagia (excessive menstrual bleeding), migraines, endometriosis, and uterine fibroids.
In April, Trump signed a bill allowing states to cut off funding to Planned Parenthood for preventative healthcare including contraception.
In May, Trump appointed Teresa Manning, a person who has publicly stated “contraception doesn’t work” in charge of overseeing Title X, the country’s family planning program.
In July, the House appropriations committee voted to eliminate $286 million for Title X, the already-underfunded federal program that funds contraception and related preventative healthcare services for low-income Americans.
In September, the Trump administration abruptly cut off funding for teen pregnancy prevention, amid repeated efforts to defund Planned Parenthood’s preventative healthcare program.
Then there is, of course, repeated efforts to gut and sabotage the Affordable Care Act.
This onslaught of attacks on contraception access arrive amid record-lows of both teen pregnancy and abortion rates.
“We are analyzing the interim rule and will be submitting a formal response,” says Terry L. Fromson, Managing Attorney of the Women’s Law Project. “But we’re also looking up long enough to see the big picture that emerges when you connect the dots between the Trump administration’s aggressive support of policies promoting unplanned pregnancy, rollback of protections for rape survivors, and obstruction of progress on workplace equality issues like equal pay. It’s a chilling picture.”
To request an interview with a WLP attorney about this topic, contact Tara Murtha at tmurtha@womenslawproject.org.
The Women’s Law Project is a public interest law center in Pennsylvania devoted to advancing the rights of women and girls.
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