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Pennsylvania AG, ACLU sue President Trump over rollback on birth control mandate

HARRISBURG, Pa. — President Trump furthers his healthcare plans, rolling back an Obama-Administration mandate requiring employers to provide fre...
In response, the Pennsylvania Attorney General is suing President Trump and the Trump Administration.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) sees this rollback as unconstitutional and more so harmful, taking free reproductive care away from women.
On the other hand, some say it's unconstitutional to force an employer to provide contraceptive care against their beliefs.
​Contraceptive care may no longer be freely included in employers' insurance coverage, President Trump rolling back a birth control mandate by the Obama Administration, prompting officials on both sides of the issue to speak out.
"The boss's beliefs should not trump the employees' health care needs," said Andy Hoover, a spokesman for the ACLU of Pennsylvania. 
"If government can force people to violate their convictions, there's no stopping what government can do," said Randall Wenger Esq., Chief Counsel at Independence Law Center in Harrisburg.
Under Trump's rollback, an employer can opt out of providing the care based on religious and moral beliefs.
"The first liberty in our Bill of Rights is the free exercise of religion, and what this mandate is doing is protecting the rights of conscious not only for religious people but for non religious people," added Wenger.
"The First Amendment's protection for religious practice was never met to be used to inflict harm on others," said Hoover.
Both the Pennsylvania Attorney General and the American Civil Liberties union suing President Trump and his administration -- saying Trump's breaking the law and hurting women.
"Woman disproportionally pay more for healthcare during their child bearing years, and that's largely because of the cost of reproductive healthcare," explained Hoover.
The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Conestoga Wood Specialties in Lancaster County allowing the employer to opt out of the contraceptive care based on the owner's religious beliefs.
Officials for the rollback say it broadens employers' 1st Amendment protections.
 "There were a lot of folks not necessarily coming at this from a religious perspective but just from a moral perspective," added Wenger.
Many do not see the rollback as something positive. Planned Parenthood of Pennsylvania seeing it as President Trump "waging a war on women" and "undermining women's rights". 
The Trump Administration has said there's not enough data to determine how much this could cost women.

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