Trump makes last ditch attack on abortion

(Washington, D.C.) Today, the Trump Administration threatened to withhold $200 million in critical health care funding to California and threatened legal action against the University of Vermont Medical Center – for protecting patient access to a full range of reproductive health care services, including abortion. The Trump Administration is claiming that these plans violate federal laws, including the Weldon Amendment, that allow various health care providers to refuse to provide care to a person seeking an abortion.

The following is a statement by Fatima Goss Graves, president and CEO of the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC):

“With just over a month until the end of the Trump Administration, this is a last-gasp attack on abortion. The Trump Administration is bullying California and Vermont Medical Center, penalizing them for protecting patient access to care. To take away health care funds in the middle of a pandemic is heartless but fitting for an administration that has sought to cement its anti-abortion legacy above all else. The incoming Biden-Harris administration must reverse these baseless, harmful actions and take steps to get rid of laws like the Weldon Amendment that allow personal beliefs to dictate patient care. We support the University of Vermont Medical Center, the state of California, and thank the lawmakers and health care workers who fight endlessly to make sure patients can access critical care, including reproductive care.”

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