California is suing Trump administration over rules restricting abortion access
SACRAMENTO – Leading what is expected to be a national battle over the issue, California is suing the Trump administration seeking to block a new regulation that restricts access to abortion and other family planning services, officials said Monday.
The lawsuit, which is being filed Monday in federal court in Northern California against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the first volley of what is expected to be a barrage of litigation by states, family planning groups and others challenging restrictions prohibiting clinics that receive federal family planning money from offering abortions or referring women to abortion services. Washington officials said last week that they plan to sue.
The filing seeks an injunction against the rules adopted for Title X of the Public Health Service Act, the federally funded program devoted to family planning.
“The Trump-pence administration has doubled down on its attacks on women’s health,” California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said. “This illegal Title X rule denies patients access to critical healthcare services and prevents doctors from providing comprehensive and accurate information about medical care.”
The rule affects some 4 million mostly low-income people nationwide, Becerra said.
California has the nation’s largest Title X program, serving some 1 million patients annually – more than 25 percent of all Title X patients nationwide.
The lawsuit says the new rule will affect programs funded through Essential Access Health, including services provided by Planned Parenthood affiliates.