Trump Administration Investigates 13 States for ‘Coercing’ Health Care Providers To Pay for Abortions

The Trump Administration is threatening to cut off federal funds to states that require employers to cover abortion in their insurance plans, arguing that those mandates violate federal conscience rights protections. In a statement on Thursday, the Department of Health and Human Services said it is investigating 13 states over the practice. The department said that the Democrat-run states — such as California, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and New York — have laws that mandate that insurance plans cover abortion, or in other ways coerce employers to do so, despite their religious or moral objections.The department argues those mandates violate a federal health care conscience law, the Weldon Amendment, by “allegedly coercing health care entities to provide coverage of, or pay for, abortion contrary to conscience.”The Weldon Amendment prohibits federal, state, or local governments from discriminating against health care entities that do not pay for abortion. Earlier this year, HHS said it “repudiated” the Biden Administration’s interpretation of the law, which said that employers and health care plan sponsors are excluded from the Weldon Amendment’s protections. “Today’s announcement advances an Administration promise, corrects misguided legal interpretations of laws that OCR enforces, and builds on HHS’ recent efforts to enforce conscience rights and protect human life,” HHS said.The department said that if states are found to be in violation of the Weldon Amendment, it will try to resolve the matter. However, it said that if states do not change their laws, the department will withhold Medicaid funding. The letter comes as the Trump Administration has faced harsh criticism from opponents of abortion over its decision to try to dismiss lawsuits that are aimed at restricting access to abortion pills. Meanwhile, a Catholic ministry, the Little Sisters of the Poor, is appealing a ruling by a federal court that requires them to offer employer-sponsored health care plans covering contraceptives — despite the nuns winning two cases at the Supreme Court in the decade-long dispute.The Supreme Court has twice ruled in favor of the nuns. In 2016, the justices said that the government should “arrive at an approach going forward that accommodates the petitioners’ religious beliefs.” And in 2020, the court upheld an exemption to the mandate created by the Trump Administration. But in August, a federal district court judge blocked the exemption, finding that it was “arbitrary and capricious.”In a legal victory for opponents of abortion, a coalition of religious organizations in New York secured a victory in January as they settled their lawsuit and agreed to stop forcing religious entities that serve people of any faith, or none at all, to cover abortions.

Trump Administration Investigates 13 States for ‘Coercing’ Health Care Providers To Pay for Abortions

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