Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman issued the following statement in response to interim final rules issued by the Trump Administration that significantly expand exemptions from the contraceptive coverage mandate under the Affordable Care Act:

“Today, the fundamental human rights of women are under attack by men in Washington who are determined to allow women’s healthcare decisions to be dictated by their bosses.

Comprehensive, cost-free access to birth control is critical to ensuring all women have a right to choose whether or when to have a child. The rules announced today would gut the contraceptive mandate, and set back progress for tens of thousands of women.

When I was 17 years old, I worked in an abortion clinic in Washington, D.C. before Roe v. Wade. I saw firsthand the dire risks women face without basic access to reproductive healthcare.

We cannot allow the Trump administration to take us backwards — because a woman who cannot control her own body is not truly free.

My office proposed the Comprehensive Contraception Coverage Act before President Trump was inaugurated in order to protect cost-free contraception for New Yorkers. The Assembly passed the bill in January, and in light of federal efforts to pare back protections, it is imperative for the State Senate to follow suit.

My office is reviewing the new federal rules and we are prepared to take action to protect the rights and health of New Yorkers.”

By martha

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