Judge's ruling rolls back protections for transgender patients

Transgender protections created under the Obama administration continue to be unraveled by the Trump administration. The latest: protections requiring insurers and providers to provide treatment regardless of sex or gender identity.

Opponents argued that the rule would force doctors to perform procedures and insurers to cover services they didn’t agree with. On Tuesday, Judge Reed O’Connor–thrust in the spotlight last December for his ruling on the ACA–agreed. Judge O’Connor ruled that the regulation was a violation of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, passed in 1993 to protect religious freedom.

Related: Lawsuits pave the way for transgender insurance coverage

The current Department of Health and Human Services elected not to defend the rule.

The ruling, which will likely be appealed, comes as the Supreme Court debates whether protections for LGBT individuals are protected from employment discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Read more: 

• EEOC at odds with DOJ over protections for transgender employees
• Companies beefing up benefits for transgender workers
• Primary care physicians to get guidelines on transgender patients