Debra Ness, President, National Partnership
Anti-choice extremists are trying to undermine women’s right to birth control under the Affordable Care Act. The health reform law covers preventive services, including birth control, without copays, deductibles or other added cost. For most women of reproductive age, contraception and birth control are the care they need most, the care they get most regularly, and their main reason for interacting with health providers, so this is one of the greatest benefits to women from the new law.
We were thrilled in August when the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) agreed and announced that women will have access to all approved contraceptive methods without co-pays or added cost under the Affordable Care Act.
But all women need this coverage. The administration included an unfair, broad — and potentially terribly harmful — exemption for certain religious employers, who would not have to provide coverage for contraception to their employees.
Too much is on the line for these women who rely on insurance to pay for their birth control. That’s why we’re urging President Obama to do what’s right for women’s health — to remove this religious refusal provision and not leave any women behind.
Tell President Obama that all women need access to contraception without co-pays or added cost, including women who work for religious employers!
Let’s not leave any woman to fend for herself.
I wonder how many employers will become religious to save a dollar. Unfortunately, most of the ones I have worked for. The bottom line is all that matters in this country – religious or not.
Dear President Obama;
Please support the right of women to obtain medical care that means the standard of care all other healthcare providers and insurance companies must provide their patients and their client.
I am specifically referring to contraception for women, who happen to be employed by a religious organziataion. These organizations should have to meet generally accepted standards of care as they apply to women, in all aspects of medical care. No woman, child or man should have to receive substandard care with regard to reproduction because of “religious” considerations.
If these organizations want the tax money and tax exemptions provided by the government for medical insurance as provided by an employer, then they should be required to meet the needs of their employees and not foster the idea that women have to accept substandard care because they are employed by a religious organization.
There should be no exemptions even in a religious organization with regard to birth control. Everyone assumes when a woman requires birth control she is promiscuous. However, this is not a fact and could be further from the truth more than any other topic. Many women use birth control because of medical conditions such as fibroids, endometriosis, POD(polycystic ovarian disease which is a risk factor ovarian cancer)and other conditons, some of which can endanger the health of a woman if she does get pregnant.
SOme women suffer from PMDD which is completely differnt from PMS in that is more severe with headaches, heavy bleeding, extreme mood swings among other physical problems.
Women deserve to have adequate care for anything they need. Birth control has often been found to help protect against breast cancer and fibrotcystic breast disease (in itself a risk factor for breast cancer)
If a religious institution such as a university or other organization receives federal funding for any of its programs, this funding should be cut off immediately to any institution that refuses contraceptive care. Not all women take contraceptives for birth control, thus, this could actually endanger their health. I worked at a religious college and was not denied this coverage back in the late 1990′s. Why are we taking a step backward in health care for women? These are the same people who are also against abortion. Isn’t it better to prevent an unplanned pregnancy than kill an unborn child? You can’t talk out of both sides of your mouth. God helps those who help themselves, allow women to keep doing this!!
It is sad to see that the Barack Obama administration is turning out to be “Bush Lite.” They kept the same cabinte members that we had under GW Bush. For example, Secretary of the Treasury, er, I mean Secretary of Goldman-Sachs is a hold-over.
Mr. Obama is more interested in helping the bankers (banksters) than he is helping people who were placed in a position of need under the Fascist GW Bush regime.
Can you say “we need a regime change?” And I don’t mean a Republican/Tea Bagger either…