Washington state sues over new Trump birth control rules

Washington state sued President Trump on Monday over his decision to let more employers claiming religious or moral objections opt out of providing no-cost birth control to women. Gen. Bob Ferguson, who successfully sued to block Trump's initial travel ban early this year, announced his latest lawsuit on Monday, three days after the new rules were issued. Other Democratic-leaning states, including Massachusetts and California, sued on Friday, as did the American Civil Liberties Union. Trump's policy is designed to roll back parts of former President Obama's healthcare law, which required that most companies cover birth control as preventive care for women, at no additional cost. Among those Food and Drug Administration-approved methods is the morning-after pill, which some religious conservatives call an abortion drug even though scientists say it has no effect on pregnant women. The Trump administration touted the new policy as a victory for religious freedom, and the announcement thrilled the social conservatives who make up a key part of the president's supporters.