The state of California is firing back at President Donald Trump after his administration targeted the state by issuing a violation notice claiming that mandating universal abortion coverage in all health insurance plans is somehow “unlawful discrimination.”

The Department of Health and Human Services and the Office for Civil Rights issued the notice on Friday alleging that requiring all health insurance plans include abortion coverage discriminates against anti-abortion policyholders.

The notice arrived suspiciously as Trump attends and makes remarks at an anti-abortion rally this week.

Of course, his anti-abortion goons in charge of both HHS and OCR bragged about their assault on abortion rights in California.

“Once again, President Trump’s administration is delivering on his promise to protect human life and all Americans’ freedom of conscience,” HHS Secretary Alex Azar said. “Under President Trump, HHS has been vigorously enforcing the statutes Congress passed to protect Americans’ consciences and institutionalizing these protections within the department’s civil rights work.”

“No one in America should be forced to pay for or cover other people’s abortions,” OCR Director Roger Severino added. “We are putting California on notice that it must stop forcing people of goodwill to subsidize the taking of human life, not only because it’s the moral thing to do, but because it’s the law.

Universal coverage of a valid medical procedure is not discriminatory. This is yet another scheme by conservatives to whittle away at a woman’s right to choose and to help Trump pander to evangelicals ahead of the 2020 Election.

This isn’t the first time Trump has attacked California either. He has attacked the state over their emissions standards and threatened to pull FEMA funding in the aftermath of devastating wildfires. Trump has also targeted California’s homeless citizens.

Trump is now threatening to take billions of dollars of healthcare funding away from the state if it does not bow down to his anti-abortion policies, which would hurt ten million people, including women and children.

Governor Gavin Newsom angrily responded by pointing out the hypocrisy.

Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) slammed the scheme as a “hostage situation.”

California state Senate President pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins (D-San Diego) had the best response, however, as she ripped Trump a new one and trolled him.

“It is all too convenient that the Trump Administration is choosing this moment – as political pressure heats up and the impeachment trial is underway – to once again come after California for our lawful, steadfast protection of women and abortion rights,” she wrote on Twitter. “I stand with women in California in our defense of reproductive freedom for all, and we will continue our efforts to ensure access to reproductive health services.”

Atkins then told Trump that California will gladly reimburse him for any abortions he has paid for in the state.

“If Donald Trump is dissatisfied with the abortion services California provides, we will happily reimburse him for any and all abortions he has paid for in California, immediately upon receipt of legal documents freeing the potential women involved from any non-disclosure agreements they may have been compelled to enter into,” she said.

Clearly, California is not taking any of Trump’s sh*t and will stand up for women and their rights.

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