A federal court on Friday blocked Trump administration rules that made it easier for employers to deny insurance coverage of contraceptives for women.
Judge Wendy Beetlestone of the Federal District Court in Philadelphia issued a preliminary injunction, saying the rules contradicted the text of the Affordable Care Act by allowing many employers to opt out of providing contraceptive coverage if they had religious or moral objections.
In the lawsuit, filed by the State of Pennsylvania, the judge said the rules would cause irreparable harm because tens of thousands of women would lose contraceptive coverage.
The Affordable Care Act contains no statutory language allowing federal agencies to create such “sweeping exemptions” to the law’s requirements to cover preventive services, Judge Beetlestone declared.
The Trump administration rules reversed a policy of the Obama administration that generally required employers and insurers to provide women with coverage for contraceptives without co-payments, deductibles or other costs.
“A simple hypothetical illustrates the insidious effect of the moral exemption rule,” Judge Beetlestone wrote. “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.”
Full story at The New York Times.
Another example of the minions at work for evil, trying to force others to become involved in their diabolical work. And no, this is not an overstatement, evil is real and sometimes it wears judicial robes.
As St. John Paul the Great said, our country has a culture of death.
It is important that the principle of “Rule of Law” be honored in our Country. The Judge, who may well be a Democrat and partisan, is only saying that the Trump regulation cannot overwrite or supersede Congressional legislation.
I do not know if that is true or not, but perhaps the remedy lies with Congress – they can amend the law and that would resolve the issue.
Although the Trump regulation is a good regulation, I would rather see the “Rule of Law” determine this case.
Well said.
Actually that is not correct. Obama himself exempted unions and others that he favored from many of the provision of the ACA. He was able to pick and chose, so it is reasonable that the Trump administration does the same. With the tax law passed yesterday, this will soon become moot, as the ACA is on its way out!