Obama Administration Issues Proposed Contraception Rule

February 1, 2013 1:22 pm

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WASHINGTON – The ACLU applauds the Obama administration for its continued commitment to ensuring women have access to affordable birth control. Today, the Department of Health and Human Services released a proposed rule implementing the requirement that insurance plans cover contraception.

“The bottom line is that the administration continues to stand with women to ensure they have access to basic health services,” said Sarah Lipton-Lubet, ACLU policy counsel. “Over the last year, we’ve seen a disturbing number of instances where employers are trying to impose their religious beliefs on a diverse workforce that does not share them, and opponents of the law have made it clear that they won’t rest until no insurance plan, whatever the source, is required to cover contraception. We look forward to continuing to work with the Obama administration to make sure that every woman has access to affordable birth control.”

The ACLU has long worked to advocate for insurance coverage for contraception and has filed over a dozen amicus briefs in the numerous cases currently challenging the Obama administration’s contraceptive coverage rule. The briefs have argued the legality of the rule and emphasized that the right to religious freedom does not include the right to discriminate. The courts have so held in other contexts involving race and gender discrimination and should similarly reject the claims of plaintiffs in these cases.

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