The Trump administration says, with no evidence whatsoever, that its new rules will have no effect on “over 99.9 percent of the 165 million women in the United States.” It further argues that low-income women will still be able to get subsidized or free contraception through community health programs and government health programs. Left unsaid is that the administration has made no secret of its desire to substantially cut government spending on programs like these. Several public interest groups, like the Center for Reproductive Rights, the National Women’s Law Center and the American Civil Liberties Union, say they plan to challenge the Trump rules in court.
President Trump’s assault on the birth control mandate is like his broader attack on the Affordable Care Act, filled with spite, based on falsehoods and fueled by vindictiveness toward his predecessor. And both will hurt millions of people.
