Taxpayer-funded family planning clinics must stop referring women for abortions immediately, the Trump administration says, declaring it will begin enforcing a new regulation hailed by religious conservatives and denounced by medical organizations and women's rights groups.

The Trump administration on Friday set up new obstacles for women seeking abortions, barring taxpayer-funded family planning clinics from making abortion referrals.

Government investigators said Thursday that thousands more migrant children may have been separated from their families than the Trump administration has acknowledged.

Leading Democrats and LGBT groups immediately denounced the move, saying "conscience protections" could become a license to discriminate, particularly against gay and transgender people.

"To be top of this list would be an achievement if it didn't mean that one-third of Kentuckians are on government subsidies," Gov. Bevin spokeswoman Jessica Ditto said.