Trump Admin To Retract Protections For Trans Patients, Claiming Religious Freedom

LGBTQ+ activists and their supporters rally in support of transgender people on the steps of New York City Hall, October 24, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
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President Donald Trump’s administration is preparing to roll back protections for transgender patients while allowing health care providers to opt out of various treatments based on religious objections, according to a Wednesday Politico report.

The Obama administration tried to extend protections to transgender patients as a provision of the Affordable Care Act, but a federal judge in Texas blocked the move. Trump is intending to issue a replacement rule rolling back those safeguards.

Advocates worry that the new provisions will also endanger women who are seeking an abortion or who have already had one.

The administration claims that the new moves will help guard against religious discrimination in the health care field.

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