SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — California has joined nearly two dozen states and municipalities in suing the federal government to stop a new rule that lets health care clinicians decline to provide abortions and other services that conflict with their moral or religious beliefs.
California's Attorney General Xavier Becerra filed a lawsuit Tuesday in San Francisco that calls the rule unlawful, reckless and contradictory to laws that seek to protect patients from discrimination and ensure access to care.
It says the new rule effectively authorizes discrimination and could curb access to health care for LGBTQ Californians, among others.
A similar lawsuit filed in New York federal court on Tuesday was brought by 23 states and municipalities.
The city of San Francisco sued over the regulation on May 2, hours after President Trump announced it.
