Lawsuits filed over rule that lets health workers deny care

Seven states and two family-planning groups have asked a federal court to block a new federal regulation that protects health workers who refuse to provide care that they find objectionable. In three lawsuits filed in U.S. District Court in Connecticut, the states and groups sought an immediate court order preventing the regulation from going into effect and a permanent decision voiding the rule. The lawsuit challenges the regulation on several grounds, charging that it is too vague and overbroad and conflicts with other federal laws and state laws.