Four Years Ago the Obama administration promised free birth control coverage
Four years ago, lawsuits and trips to the Supreme Court has kept the birth control mandate in the headlines.
Margaret Sanger cartoon — An illustration from Birth Control Review, 1918
Freedom of conscience and freedom of religion have become under attack as the movement to force businesses to pay for birth control and for tax payer funds to be used for abortions and birth control.
From Jan 22, 2012 came the promise: on August 1st (2012), “Churches, synagogues and other houses of worship are exempt from the requirement, but religious-affiliated hospitals and universities only get a one-year delay and must comply by Aug. 1, 2013.”
The Obama administration announced Friday that most healthcare plans will be required to cover birth control without charging co-pays or deductibles – this will take effect August 1st.
Despite objections from religious groups and House Republicans, the final regulation retains the power confirmed by federal health officials proposed last summer.
From the report:
Churches, synagogues and other houses of worship are exempt from the requirement, but religious-affiliated hospitals and universities only get a one-year delay and must comply by Aug. 1, 2013.
“This decision was made after very careful consideration, including the important concerns some have raised about religious liberty,” Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a statement. “I believe this proposal strikes the appropriate balance between respecting religious freedom and increasing access to important preventive services.”
“This ruling forces religious organizations to violate the fundamental tenets of their faith, or stop offering health insurance coverage to their employees,” said the Republican Policy Committee. “Time will tell whether those institutions choose the former or the latter course — but neither option should be necessary, if the administration had not taken such an unbending approach to appease its liberal base.”
photo Will O’Neill via Flickr
