Attorney General Becerra Obtains Nationwide Injunction to Protect Women’s Access to Birth Control

Joins State of Pennsylvania in One-Two Punch Against Trump Administration Overreach 

OAKLAND – California Attorney General Xavier Becerra issued the following statement after the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California granted California’s preliminary injunction blocking the Trump Administration’s illegal regulations that would deny access to birth control for millions of women across the country.  The Trump Administration issued its ill-conceived rules and made them effective immediately on October 6, 2017. The rules allowed virtually any employer to deny women cost-free birth control guaranteed by the Affordable Care Act. 

“The law couldn’t be more clear: a woman, not her boss and certainly not a politician, should decide what’s best for her own healthcare,” said Attorney General Becerra. “The Affordable Care Act guarantees that women are not burdened with high costs for seeking basic healthcare, including birth control. This court ruling serves as yet another reminder to the Trump Administration: the rule of law applies to everyone, no matter who you are or how high your rank. In concert with last week's injunction in Pennsylvania, today's ruling amounts to a one-two punch against the Trump Administration's unlawful overreach. Having said this, our work will not end until women are guaranteed the healthcare they deserve.”

California was joined in this lawsuit by the states of Delaware, Maryland, New York and the Commonwealth of Virginia. Last Friday, Pennsylvania obtained a preliminary injunction in a similar case, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, v. Trump, et al., U.S. Dist. Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Case no. 17-4540.