Twenty-one states and the District of Columbia have vowed to block the Trump administration's new rule issued by the Department of Health and Human Services, which would place major restrictions against abortion providers receiving federal funding.

A multistate suit is expected to be filed on Tuesday in Oregon, and the state of California filed its own separate court challenge against the federal government in San Francisco on Monday.

What are the details?

Last month, the Trump administration announced the proposed rule change, which is expected to shift tens of millions of federal dollars away from Planned Parenthood by prohibiting health care facilities from receiving funding from the Title X family planning program if abortion procedures are performed on site. The new rule would also forbid health care providers from referring patients for abortion services.

Opponents are calling the proposal a "gag rule," and vow to stop it by seeking an injunction before it goes into effect in 60 days. According to The Washington Post, the states joining forces to challenge the HHS order are Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Wisconsin. The District of Columbia will also be a plaintiff.

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown is heading up the multistate coalition, saying in a statement, "Everyone deserves the ability to make their own decision about their health care. It is appalling that the federal government wants to rob individuals of the right to complete medical information and full access to the critical health care services they rely on."

In announcing California's lawsuit Monday, the state's Attorney General Xavier Becerra said, "The Trump-Pence Administration has doubled down on its attacks on women's health. 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 American Civil Liberties Union has also pledged to challenge the new rule in court.

Anything else?

An online campaigned — labeled #HowDareYou — is being circulated by pro-abortion activists seeking to shame the administration over the proposed Title X changes. Planned Parenthood — which could lose as much as $60 million in funding if the rule goes into effect — is leading the charge.



