Press Releases

 On Tuesday, U.S. Representative Mike Johnson (R-La.), U.S. Senator Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and 36 other members of Congress sent a letter to the secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), supporting the proposed rule changes to Section 1557 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. This proposed rule clarifies that Section 1557 prohibits discrimination while ensuring health care professionals and organizations are not forced to perform or cover services such as the termination of pregnancy.

JOHNSON RELEASED THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT:

"No American should ever be forced to provide or pay for a service that directly contradicts his or her sincerely held religious beliefs. However, that constitutional right has been jeopardized in recent years by broadly worded statutes in previous administrations. We are grateful for this administration’s continual efforts to defend the inestimable dignity and value of every human life, and we will continue supporting policies that protect the First Amendment rights of all Americans.”

BACKGROUND

In 2016, the Obama administration went beyond established federal statutes and adopted an overly broad definition of “sex.” This regulation was challenged in federal court and, on December 31, 2016, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas issued a nationwide preliminary injunction against the rule.