California sues to block new federal abortion restrictions

California’s attorney general and other Democratic lawmakers are seeking to overturn new obstacles the Trump administration set up for women seeking abortions, including barring taxpayer-funded family planning clinics from making abortion referrals.

Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced Monday that the Democratic-led state will file a federal lawsuit seeking to block the Health and Human Services Department’s new family planning rule.

California has filed dozens of lawsuits challenging a number of the Trump administration’s actions.

The rule also prohibits federally funded family planning clinics from being housed in the same locations as abortion providers. Washington state’s Democratic attorney general previously announced that state’s plan to legally challenge the rule in court.

Administration officials have told abortion opponents that they expected a number of legal challenges to the new rule.