Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro has joined other states in suing the Trump Administration for rolling back birth control coverage in the Affordable Care Act, writes Bobby Allyn for WHYY.

The newly issued ruling allows employers to deny women health benefits that cover birth control by citing religious or moral beliefs. Similar suits have already been filed in Massachusetts, Washington, and California.

Shapiro’s suit calls the rollback of the ACA initiative unconstitutional and discriminatory against women.

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“The federal government, under the direction of the Trump Administration, broke the law and undermined the health and economic independence of American women,” he said.

State officials estimate that nearly 2.5 million Pennsylvania women have access to birth control with no out-of-pocket costs, thanks to Obamacare. According to a report released by the Obama Administration last year, 55 million women nationwide benefited from free birth control.

Now, under the new rules, Shapiro said that almost every employer can deny coverage for contraceptives to their employees.

“Access to contraception reduces maternal and infant mortality,” said Carol E. Tracy, executive director of the Women’s Law Project. “Reversing that will increase it.”

Read more about the lawsuit at WHYY here.

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