Sexual and reproductive health equity means that all people have the access to high-quality health care and health-related social needs, legal rights, and power necessary to attain their highest attainable standard of sexual and reproductive health and wellbeing.
The National Health Law Program fights for a future marked by sexual and reproductive health equity for all through our Medicaid and nondiscrimination advocacy. We advocate for stronger implementation and enforcement of federal civil rights protections against sexual and reproductive health care discrimination. We push for solutions to Medicaid eligibility gaps that either target or affect underserved communities (e.g., the Medicaid expansion coverage gap and various immigrant coverage gaps). And we champion legal and policy reforms to strengthen underserved populations’ access to contraception, abortion, pregnancy care, assisted reproduction, sexual health care, and gender-affirming care for Black, Indigenous, and other people of color, people with disabilities, LGBTQI+ people, immigrants, and young people. This page features our related resources.
Discrimination in Sexual and Reproductive Health Care
Protections Against Discrimination in Sexual and Reproductive Health Care
- May 9, 2024
[Webinar] The Biden Administration’s Final Rule on Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act: What You Need to Know
Read moreThe final Section 1557 regulation was recently released by the Office for Civil Rights. Implementing Section 1557 of the…
- May 9, 2024
Questions and Answers on the 2024 Final Rule Addressing Nondiscrimination Protections under the ACA’s Section 1557
Read moreThe Biden Administration finalized updates to the regulations implementing Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act. Section 1557 prohibits…
- December 12, 2023
Reproductive Health Care Pain Points: Raising The Standard of Care for Managing Pain From IUD Insertion and Removal
Read moreDeanna Hartog. NHeLP LegaI Intern, Summer 2023; J.D. Candidate, George Washington University Law SchoolSexism shapes the U.S. health care…
- November 15, 2023
Comments on Section 504 Proposed Rules: Discrimination on the Basis of Disability in Health and Human Services
Read moreNHeLP offered support and suggested critical ways to strengthen the first update to Section 504 regulations since 1977. The…
- September 27, 2022
How the Proposed Section 1557 Rule Addresses Discrimination Based on Sex Stereotypes
Read moreSex stereotypes are stereotypical ideas about masculinity or femininity, such as expectations about how people should represent or communicate…
- June 19, 2020
HHS Eliminates or Weakens Regulatory Protections Against Discrimination in Health Care
Read moreAs part of its ongoing attacks on health care and civil rights, the Trump administration recently finalized drastic changes…
- June 4, 2019
Q&A: Proposed Rollback of Nondiscrimination Protections Under the ACA’s Section 1557
Read moreIn courts and through regulatory action, the administration is vigorously working to dismantle the Affordable Care Act (ACA). On…
- January 9, 2015
Letter to HHS Office of Civil Rights on pending HIV discrimination complaint
Read moreThe National Health Law Program and The AIDS Institute (TAI) sent the attached letter to the HHS Office of…
Refusals of Sexual and Reproductive Health Care
- January 29, 2024
HHS’s 2024 Final Rule on Health Care Refusals: What Health Advocates Need to Know
Read moreFederal health care refusal laws, such as the Weldon Amendment and the Church Amendments, govern when and how covered…
- January 12, 2024
HHS Office for Civil Rights Finalizes 2024 Health Care Refusal Regulations
Read moreThis week, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued a final rule,…
- March 7, 2023
National Health Law Program Comments on HHS’s Proposed Changes to Health Care Refusal Regulations
Read moreThe National Health Law Program submitted comments on the Department of Health and Human Services's (HHS) Notice of Proposed…
- December 20, 2022
NHeLP Recognizes that Health Care Refusals Harm Transgender and Gender Diverse People
Read moreTwo Courts of Appeal recently held that, in spite of Section 1557’s important protections against discrimination, including discrimination on…
- February 18, 2020
Comments on HHS Proposed Rule on Religiously-Affiliated Providers
Read moreHHS is attempting to roll back important protections for individuals seeking services from religiously-affiliated providers in a rulemaking it…
- July 19, 2019
Webinar: Final Conscience Regulation – Does the New HHS Rule Promote Injustice?
Read moreOn May 2, 2019, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued the final version of its conscience…
- January 2, 2019
The Ethical & Religious Directives: What the 2018 Update Means for Catholic Hospital Mergers
Read moreThe Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services (ERDs) are directives promulgated by the United States Conference…
- November 29, 2018
National Health Law Program Analysis of California’s Conditional Merger of Catholic Hospitals
Read moreSenior Attorney Amy Chen provides analysis of the California Department of Justice's recent conditioned approval of Catholic health care…
- September 27, 2018
Health and Civil Rights Groups’ Comments on Calif. Proposed Merger of Catholic Health Systems
Read moreThe National Health Law Program along with more than 20 health, civil and human rights groups, filed comments with…
- March 27, 2018
National Health Law Program Urges HHS to Withdraw Conscience Rights Rule
Read moreIn comments to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), the National Health Law Program urges it…
- March 26, 2018
NHeLP Comments to HHS on Proposal for Religious Groups and Health Services
Read moreIn comments to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), National Health Law Program urges it to…
- December 6, 2017
NHeLP Comments: HHS Rule on Religious Exemption from ACA Birth Control Provision
Read moreThe Trump administration's effort to weaken, if not destroy, the Affordable Care Act's landmark birth control provision, also includes…
- December 6, 2017
NHeLP Comments: HHS Rule on Moral Exemptions from ACA Birth Control Provision
Read moreThe Trump administration's "Interim Final Rule for Moral Exemptions and Accommodations" for the Affordable Care Act (ACA)'s contraceptions provision…
- August 18, 2016
Letters to Walgreens & SSM Health Medical Group
Read moreIn letters to Walgreens and Catholic-sponsored SSM Health Medical Group, NHeLP and the ACLU of Illinois, ACLU of Missouri…
- July 23, 2013
Health Care Refusals: Undermining Quality Care for Women
Read moreFor full publication text, download document.The executive summary to this report can be found here.
- July 23, 2013
Reproductive Health Services and Expansion of Religious Health Entities: Bill I
Read moreThis paper discusses a California bill aimed at ensuring access to reproductive health services despite the expansion of religious…
- July 23, 2013
Catholic Health Systems Getting Bigger
Read moreCatholic Health Systems Getting Bigger April 1999 Catholic Institutions alone control 600 hospitals, 140,000 hospital beds,…
Population Health Equity
Sexual and Reproductive Health Equity for Young People
- January 8, 2024
Accessing Contraceptives in Florida: A Toolkit for Young Adults
Read moreThis Toolkit was created in partnership with the Florida Health Justice Project (FHJP) with the goal of equipping young…
- August 29, 2023
Resources for California Foster Youth: Sexual, Reproductive, and Mental Health Medi-Cal Services
Read moreCurrent and former foster youth in the Medi-Cal program have access to a broad array of reproductive, sexual, and…
- January 31, 2022
Gender-Affirming Care for Youth is Still Good Health Care
Read moreLast year we wrote that “Laws should not serve as a weapon to criminalize and discriminate against our transgender…
- July 20, 2015
State Recommendations to Include Sexuality Education in Health Care Delivery
Read moreThis brief outlines recommendations that advocates can use to encourage their states to include sexuality education in health care…
- October 14, 2014
Health Advocate: EPSDT Screening: Including Sexuality Education in Health Education
Read moreUnder Medicaid and some Children's Health Insurance Programs (CHIP), youth are eligible to receive the Early and Periodic Screening,…
- July 2, 2014
Sexuality Education in Health Care Delivery for Medicaid and CHIP-Eligible Youth
Read moreThis issue brief discusses the health education component of the EPSDT medical screens required for Medicaid and some CHIP-eligible…
- July 23, 2013
Adolescent Medicaid Enrollees Seeking Reproductive Health Care More Likely to b
Read moreAdolescent Medicaid Enrollees Seeking Reproductive Health Services Have Increased Risk of Abuse and Criminal ActivityPosted by: Jamie D. BrooksThe…
