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Under the Affordable Care Act, which goes into effect August 2012, most health insurance plans would cover preventative care for women, including birth control, without a co-pay or deductible. This caused an uproar among pro-life religious institutions who are against any form of contraception.
“Under the mandate, the government forces religious insurers to write policies that violate their beliefs,” said the United Sates Conference of Catholic Bishops in a press release, Feb. 6.
Catholic television network EWTN even filed a lawsuit against the federal government with the U.S. District Court.
Obama, hoping to mollify these employers, offered a compromising change.
“Under the new policy … women will have free preventive care that includes contraceptive services no matter where she works,” said a statement from the White House.
While religious employers will not have to provide these services if it contradicts their faith, a female employee can still receive it directly from the health insurance company. This service is mandatory on behalf of the insurance company, again without co-pay or deductible. The employers will not have to pay for this.
Obama said he believes this is a compromise that works for all parties.
“I’ve been confident from the start that we could work out a sensible approach here,” he said.
The president added that this should not be “a political wedge issue.”
Indiana legislators Senator Dan Coats and Congressman Marlin Stutzman both issued statements disagreeing with the president’s stance.
“This announcement does not offer genuine conscience protections,” said Stutzman. “Instead, it offers a flimsy hope that … religious groups will disregard their enduring values.”
A current poll on Stutzman’s website asks if the administration should be able to “force faith-based groups” to offer plans that include birth control. Over 68 percent said no while just under 32 percent said yes.
“Today’s announcement changes nothing,” said Coats. “…what the president fails to understand is that when it comes to freedom of religion … there is no room for compromise.”
Leading Republican presidential candidates Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum had also previously condemned the Affordable Care Act.
Bioethicist and MSNBC contributor Dr. Art Caplan wrote that the stance of the Catholic bishops was harmful to women.
“Would anyone in the media be sympathetic if the entire leadership of the Jehovah’s Witnesses said they would not budge an inch in including coverage of blood transfusions?” he wrote.
“Every woman should be in control of her own health. Period,” said Obama.
This isn’t the only controversy to have swept women’s health this month. Earlier, breast cancer awareness group the Komen Foundation rescinded funding to Planned Parenthood because the organization was under a Congressional investigation. Komen later reversed its decision.
