The trump administration announced on Friday it will be rolling back the Obama-era contraception coverage mandate which provided women with no-cost Birth Control. A number of women could lose their contraception coverage because of this ruling.
The Health and Human Services (HHS) department stated the legislation will allow employers and insurers to choose if they will cover birth control. Religious and moral standards can be used as reasons to exempt themselves from providing this medication.
According to Fox News, any non-profit, non-publicly traded company, or higher education institutions that abide by religious or moral standards can be exempt from providing contraception.
An HHS official told Fox News only 120,000 women will be affected by this legislation, leaving 99.9 percent of American women who use birth control unaffected. Additionally, some women will have to now pay for their birth control if they choose to use it.
However, at this time, it is unclear whether this number is accurate considering no one knows how many companies and insurers will exempt themselves from providing the medication. Critics are predicting this number will likely be higher, according to the Washington Post.
Reactions
Planned Parenthood sent out a series of tweets on Friday dismissing the Trump administration's decision. The organization stated birth control is not a controversial issue and regulating the medication could lead to 62.4 million women being affected.
Additionally, the organization stated the increased access to the pill through the affordable care act saved women $1.4 billion a year.
Don't be fooled. Targeting 62.4M women's access to birth-control coverage shows the Trump admin's disdain for women’s health & lives. pic.twitter.com/KIfS2E9IQg
— Planned Parenthood (@PPact) October 6, 2017
I'm a Christian. This is not about my religious freedom. This is about controlling women's sexuality. That's all this is. #HandsOffMyBC
— Charles Clymer🏳️🌈 (@cmclymer) October 6, 2017
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), an advocacy organization, announced on Twitter it will be suing the Trump administration for allowing employers to deny women access to birth control.
The controversy
During the Obama administration, some religious groups protested against the original mandate and deemed it unconstitutional.
According to the Washington Post, the Catholic Church argued mandating contraception be covered by employers was equivalent to performing a sin. The Catholic Church has stated oral contraception is against their beliefs.
The church views natural birth control--such as abstinence--as the more acceptable option.
Several religious groups, such as the Little Sisters of the Poor, sought lawsuits and took their case as far as the US Supreme Court.
