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Congresswoman Waters on Trump Attacking Women (in More Ways than One)

October 6, 2017

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 6, 2017

Contact: Twaun Samuel or Rykia Dorsey

Phone: (202) 225-2201

Congresswoman Waters on Trump Attacking Women (in More Ways than One)

WASHINGTON—Congresswoman Maxine Waters (CA-43), Ranking Member of the House Financial Services Committee, released the following statement after the announcement that President Trump has restricted women's access to birth control.

"Donald Trump showed us who he really is during the campaign when he admitted to grabbing women by their private parts, so today's attack by the Trump administration on women's health should come as no surprise. The rule, issued today, allows employers—even ones with no religious affiliation— to deny their employees birth control coverage as previously required by the Affordable Care Act. This is an attack on all of the 62 million women nationwide that rely on the Affordable Care Act's birth control coverage.

"The Trump administration's new rule is steeped in hypocrisy. For a president who claims to want to reduce the number of abortions and unintended pregnancies nationwide, he has issued a rule that will dramatically increase both. Birth control should not be controversial. It allows families to plan when and where they have children, and 9 in 10 women will use a form of it in their lifetime. Furthermore, this rule targets low-income communities in particular: 1 in 3 women struggled to afford birth control before the Affordable Care Act. Yet despite the widespread need and support for birth control coverage, Trump saw a need to attack it anyway. This is part of Trump's Handmaid's Tale agenda, and I will not rest until this agenda is defeated.

"Trump claims this rule protects religious freedom, but religious organizations were already exempt from directly providing their employees birth control. Don't be fooled, this rule is not about protecting religious liberties. This rule is about Trump expanding the scope of Trumpian hypocrisy, and continuing his longstanding attack on women."