June 12, 2020 | 8:37pm
The Trump administration on Friday announced it is reversing an Obama-era regulation that prohibited discrimination against transgender patients in health care.
The announcement from the Department of Health and Human Services was swiftly praised by his religious conservative base but condemned by civil and LGBTQ rights advocates.
Those advocates pointed out that the move came during Pride Month and on the four-year anniversary of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando.
HHS said it will enforce sex discrimination protections “according to the plain meaning of the word ‘sex’ as male or female and as determined by biology” — erasing the Obama administration allowance for a broader understanding of sex based on a person’s internal understanding of being male, female, neither or a combination.
The Human Rights Campaign announced it will file a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s rule change, calling it an “attac[k]” on the LGBTQ community.
“LGBTQ people get sick. LGBTQ people need health care. LGBTQ people should not live in fear that they cannot get the care they need simply because of who they are,” said HRC President Alphonso David in a statement.
“It is clear that this administration does not believe that LGBTQ people, or other marginalized communities, deserve equality under the law.”
Roger Severino, head of the Health and Human Services Department unit that enforces civil rights laws, said transgender people will continue to be protected by other statutes that ban health care discrimination on account of race, color, national origin, age, disability and other factors.
“HHS respects the dignity of every human being,” Severino said. “We are unwavering in our commitment to enforcing civil rights in health care.”
With Post Wires.
