Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark joined a group of 22 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief on Mar. 4 urging the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit to uphold a District Court ruling against Trump Administration regulations that allow employers to restrict access to birth control and other contraceptive care. The brief challenges regulations from 2017 and 2018 that expand religious and moral exemptions, permitting employers to remove guaranteed, no-cost contraception coverage from health care plans.
The issue is significant because it affects hundreds of thousands of women who could lose access to affordable contraceptive care. According to the coalition, more than 80% of women ages 18 to 49 have used some form of contraception in the past year, and with average annual costs reaching $584 per user, these regulations could shift approximately $73.8 million in expenses onto individuals.
Attorney General Clark and her counterparts argue that if these rules remain in place, states will be forced to spend millions on replacement services through state-funded programs. They also warn that access has already been reduced since implementation of these rules, with funding cuts impacting clinics that previously provided reproductive health services. This situation has worsened due to recent abortion restrictions following the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
The coalition further contends that limiting access deepens existing racial, gender, and income disparities. People living in so-called “contraceptive deserts”—areas without reasonable access—are especially affected; about 19 million American women face additional barriers as a result.
Joining Vermont’s attorney general are officials from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaiʻi, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island Virginia and Washington.
