Groups cry foul over religion directive
By
and
At a time when Trump finds himself embattled on many fronts, the two directives -- issued almost simultaneously on Friday -- demonstrated the president's eagerness to retain the loyalty of social conservatives who make up a key part of his base. Leaders of that constituency were exultant.
"
Liberal advocacy groups, including those supporting LGBT and reproductive rights, were outraged.
"The Trump administration is saying to employers, 'If you want to discriminate, we have your back,'" said
Her organization is among several that are planning to challenge the birth-control rollback in court. The
"The Trump administration is forcing women to pay for their boss' religious beliefs," said
The Democratic attorneys general of
Both directives had been in the works for months, with activists on both sides of a culture war on edge about the timing and the details.
The religious-liberty directive, issued by Attorney General
"Except in the narrowest circumstances, no one should be forced to choose between living out his or her faith and complying with the law," Sessions wrote.
In what is likely to be one of the more contested aspects of the document, the
The
The new policy on contraception, issued by the
Employers with religious or moral qualms will also be able to cover some birth control methods, and not others.
The top Democrat in the
"This administration's contempt for women reaches a new low with this appalling decision to enable employers and health plans to deny women basic coverage for contraception," she said.
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