The Trump administration today finalized rules that provide moral and religious exemptions to the Affordable Care Act's mandate that nearly all health insurance plans cover abortion-inducing drugs and contraception. Melanie Israel, a research associate at The Heritage Foundation, offered the following immediate analysis:

"These rules provide much-needed relief from one of Obamacare’s most egregious assaults on rights of conscience and religious liberty."

"This onerous mandate has long burdened employers, individuals, and religious organizations who hold deeply sincere beliefs concerning the protection of unborn human life. These Americans have faced the dilemma of violating their religious and moral beliefs, paying steep fines, or forgoing offering or obtaining health insurance entirely."

"Every day that these groups have faced such a choice is an affront to the religious liberty of all Americans. The finalized rules provide meaningful relief and underscore our country’s proud tradition of respecting rights of conscience."