Democratic attorneys general in 22 states and Washington, D.C., are suing the Department of Health and Human Services on Monday after the agency issued a rule in June that would allow doctors, hospitals, and insurance companies to deny transgender people healthcare.
The lawsuit claims the rule neglects lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.
"It is never acceptable to deny healthcare to Americans who need it, but it is especially egregious to do so in the middle of a pandemic," New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a press release. California, Massachusetts, Washington, Michigan and Pennsylvania are among the other states that have joined the lawsuit.
The rule change decreased anti-discrimination requirements by organizations and also takes away the need for organizations to post notices saying they do not discriminate.
The HHS rule also strips anti-discrimination protections for women who have had past abortions.
The Justice Department also put religious-liberty rules in place that provide religious groups broad protection, which could exempt some from anti-discrimination laws.
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