Press Release National
Press Release
Reproductive Freedom for All Celebrates as Biden-Harris Administration Rescinds Trump-Era Denial of Care Policy
Washington, DC — Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) finalized its rule that rescinds the Trump administration’s attempt to dramatically expand harmful refusal of care laws.
Reproductive Freedom for All President and CEO Mini Timmaraju released the following statement:
“Today, the Biden-Harris administration delivered yet again for reproductive freedom in repealing the harmful aspects of the Trump-era refusal of care rule. The abortion access crisis rages on in our country, and we commend this important step towards equity. No one should be denied access to abortion care based on the political beliefs of someone else.”
Denial of care policies allow a broad range of individuals and institutions—including hospitals, individual health care providers, and insurance companies—to deny people access to the care they need, including abortion and gender-affirming care. This disproportionately harms those who already face systemic barriers to care—including women; Black, Latina/x, Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and Indigenous people; those working to make ends meet; the LGBTQ+ community; immigrants; young people; those living in rural communities; people with disabilities, and other historically oppressed communities.
The Trump administration’s refusal of care rule sought to illegally expand existing harmful federal laws by allowing virtually any individual or entity involved in patient care to put personal ideology ahead of a patient’s health and safety. Under the Trump rule, which was blocked by the courts, even those not directly involved in providing patient care could invoke personal ideology to refuse to do their jobs and deny patients access to care.
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For over 50 years, Reproductive Freedom for All (formerly NARAL Pro-Choice America) has fought to protect and advance reproductive freedom at the federal and state levels—including access to abortion care, birth control, pregnancy and post-partum care, and paid family leave—for everybody. Reproductive Freedom for All is powered by its more than 4 million members from every state and congressional district in the country, representing the 8 in 10 Americans who support legal abortion.