WASHINGTON — A federal court issued a preliminary injunction today effectively blocking interim final rules issued by the Department of Health and Human Services and other federal agencies that would have allowed employers and universities to deny their employees and students insurance coverage for contraception due to religious or moral objections. The decision by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania was issued in a case brought by the commonwealth of Pennsylvania; the ACLU’s suit challenging these rules is currently pending in California.



Louise Melling, ACLU deputy legal director, had this reaction:



“It is a good day when a court stops this administration from sanctioning discrimination under the guise of religion or morality. The Trump administration’s rules stripped women of birth control coverage — a benefit guaranteed to them by law, and meant to advance their health and equality. We applaud the order to enjoin the enforcement of these discriminatory rules.”