Washington, D.C. – Today, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) and Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties Chair Steve Cohen (D-TN) released the following statement on the Supreme Court's decision upholding a Trump Administration rule that undermines access to birth control for women across the country: 

“Today’s decision potentially leaves hundreds of thousands of women without access to birth control.  It drastically undermines the Affordable Care Act and Congress’s clear intent to make birth control widely available for all who need it.  Under the Trump Administration’s rules—which the Supreme Court upheld today—virtually any corporation or institution can claim a religious or moral 'exemption' to deny birth control coverage to employees or students.  In other words, these women’s essential health care coverage will be left to the mercies of their bosses.  Worse still, the Trump Administration’s regulations and today’s decision will disproportionately impact low-wage workers and people of color, who already face barriers to care.

“This decision is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to President Trump’s ongoing efforts to eviscerate the Affordable Care Act and undermine the ability of women to access basic reproductive health care.  In the last year, the Trump Administration has tried to dismantle the Title X federal family planning program and undermined Medicaid coverage of basic family planning services.  Just recently, the President and Attorney General Barr filed a brief in another pending Supreme Court case asking the Court to strike down the entire law, which would take away coverage for up to 23 million Americans. The stakes could not be higher, especially during a global pandemic.  

“Fortunately, the disastrous regulations that the Court upheld today can be reversed by a new President.  They also can and should be reversed right now by Congress through the Protect Access to Birth Control Act, announced today by Representatives Diana DeGette, Judy Chu, Barbara Lee, and Lois Frankel.  During this global pandemic, we should be working to make essential health care more—not less—accessible for all Americans.”