Attacks on Birth Control Coverage Rage On in Congress, Representatives Stand Up for Women by Walking Out of Stacked Hearing

February 16, 2012

This morning, a House committee held a hearing on birth control coverage that featured a panel stacked exclusively with men opposed to the Affordable Care Act rule requiring that contraception be covered in employee health care plans. Representatives Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) and Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) and Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) walked out in protest. Of the 10 total witnesses scheduled to testify today, reports indicate that only two will be women and none of them will speak in support of birth control coverage.

In the Senate, a vote is coming up soon on the so-called "Respect for Rights of Conscience Act," an anti-birth control amendment Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) is trying to force through as an attachment to a must-pass transportation bill. If passed, this legislation would deny countless women contraception coverage in their employee health plans. In fact, the amendment would allow any employer or insurance provider (with or without a religious affiliation) to refuse to cover any health care item or service they object to on the basis of "religious beliefs or moral convictions."

"Far from being about religious liberty, this ongoing campaign by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and their conservative cronies in Congress is a blatant attack on birth control in the United States," said NOW President Terry O'Neill.

"Women, regardless of where they work, should have access to health insurance that covers preventive health care, including contraception, with no co-pays and no hassles," said O'Neill. "Employers should not be allowed to enforce their personal beliefs on employees regarding birth control coverage or basic health care. Simply put, all employers and insurers should play by the same rules under health care reform."

NOW is closely watching two other, similar bills, one authored by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and the other co-authored by Rubio and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va..). Both bills would allow any employer to strip birth control from their health insurance plans. NOW is urging all reproductive rights supporters to contact their senators to ensure defeat of these bills.

Birth control is a fundamental part of preventive health care for women in this country, and restricting it is wildly out of touch with the values and desires of the American people. A recent survey by Public Policy Polling shows that 56 percent of U.S. voters -- including men as well as women -- support the requirement for health plans to fully cover birth control.

"Enough is enough," said O'Neill. "People are growing fed up with the politicization of basic health care and birth control, and legislators should take note: politicians who try to restrict birth control will pay a price at the polls this November."