Supreme Court upholds Trump rule letting employers opt out of birth control coverage

The Supreme Court ruled 7-2 Wednesday to uphold a Trump administration rule that will let employers opt out of providing no-cost birth control if they cite moral or religious objections.

The Affordable Care Act mandated employers and insurers provide contraceptives as part of their coverage, with houses of worship exempt from the mandate. The Trump administration created a more expansive exception to that rule, and the Supreme Court agreed it had the authority to do so.

Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor dissented, with Ginsburg noting anywhere from 70,000 to 126,000 women will lose free access to birth control because of the ruling. A previous Supreme Court ruling in the Hobby Lobby case allowed family-owned companies to opt out of providing birth control for moral or religious reasons.

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