Senator Coons Cosponsors Bill to Restore Protections for Women's Health Lost in Supreme Court's Hobby Lobby Decision

Press Release

U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) has cosponsored legislation to restore the contraceptive coverage requirement guaranteed by the Affordable Care Act. The Protect Women's Health from Corporate Interference Act protects contraceptive coverage, as well as coverage of other health services, from employers attempting to impose their personal beliefs on employees by denying health benefits. The bill was introduced by U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Mark Udall (D-Colo.) on Wednesday in response to the Supreme Court's decision late last month in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby. That decision declared that a closely held corporation may deny its female employees insurance coverage for contraception that its owners find religiously objectionable.

"A woman's choice in birth control should be between her and her doctor, and the religious beliefs of the woman's boss should have no role in it," Senator Coons said. "The Supreme Court's decision in Burwell v. Hobby Court fundamentally discriminates against women, particularly those who lack the financial means to pay for contraceptive care out of pocket. A woman's boss should not be allowed to decide which forms of birth control and other health services she can access. This bill would restore the basic protections for women's health taken away by the Supreme Court and ensure that decisions about a woman's health care options will be made in a doctor's office, not in a boardroom." Senator Coons is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The Protect Women's Health from Corporate Interference Act will restore the original legal requirement guaranteeing women access to contraceptive coverage through their employment-based insurance plans. The bill will also protect coverage of other critical health services -- such as vaccines, blood transfusions, and HIV treatment -- from employer interference.

"With this bill, Congress can begin to fix the damage done by the Supreme Court's decision to allow for-profit corporations to deny their employees birth control coverage. The Supreme Court last week opened the door to a wide range of discrimination and denial of services. This bill would help close the door for denying contraception before more corporations can walk through it," Planned Parenthood Action Fund President Cecile Richards said. "As the nation's leading advocate for women's reproductive health care, Planned Parenthood Action Fund is committed to making sure women can get the no-copay birth control benefit that we and others fought so hard to pass and protect. No woman should lose access to birth control because her boss doesn't approve of it."

"Last week, we heard a collective gasp across the country as Americans everywhere tried to make sense of five male Justices on the Supreme Court deciding that our bosses could have control over our birth control in the Hobby Lobby decision," NARAL Pro-Choice America President Ilyse Hogue said. "Today, we hear those gasps turn to cheers as we see champions in Congress move to right this wrong. Ninety-nine percent of American women use some form of birth control in our lifetimes, and all medical experts agree that these remedies should be included in comprehensive healthcare. Anything less than this amounts to discrimination against women in the workplace. If there's one thing we can agree upon more than the idea that politicians aren't equipped to decide for us how and when and with whom we have families, it's that our bosses are even less so. This bill is the first step in making sure those personal healthcare decision stay where they belong -- in the hands of the women whose lives are affected."

"This critical legislation will protect women's health care services guaranteed by the Affordable Care Act and safeguard their rights," National Women's Law Center Co-President Marcia D. Greenberger said. "Women have worked for and earned the right to have their health needs covered--just as men do. This legislation makes it unmistakably clear that businesses, in the name of religion, can neither discriminate against their female employees nor impose their religious beliefs on them. Bosses should stick to what they know best--the board room and the bottom line--and stay out of the bedroom and exam room."

The Protect Women's Health from Corporate Interference Act prevents employers from interfering in their employees' decisions about contraception and other health services by:

Banning employers from refusing to cover any health coverage -- including contraceptive coverage -- guaranteed to their employees and dependents under federal law.

Stating that all federal laws do not permit employers to refuse to comply with the ACA requirement, including the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

Including the exemption from the contraceptive coverage requirement for houses of worship and the accommodation for religious non-profits.

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