Hagan, Planned Parenthood Fight to Reverse Supreme Court Hobby Lobby Decision

Press Release

Today, U.S. Senator Kay Hagan was joined by Planned Parenthood of Central North Carolina CEO and President Janet Colm and other members of Planned Parenthood in denouncing efforts in the U.S. Senate to block a bill that would restore women's access to contraception in the aftermath of the Supreme Court's Hobby Lobby decision. The Protect Women's Health from Corporate Interference Act, which Hagan introduced with 36 of her Senate colleagues last week, would also ensure employers cannot deny other medical procedures, like vaccines and blood transfusions, where a boss may have a religious objection. On Wednesday, a minority in the Senate prevented the bill from even coming up for debate.

"Two weeks ago, the Supreme Court decided that an employer's personal beliefs could trump some of the most private and significant health care decisions a woman makes - whether or not she can access contraceptives she has already paid for with her work as guaranteed by federal law," said Senator Hagan. "A woman's health care decisions are between her and her doctor, and are not her boss' business. I'm very disappointed that a minority in the Senate blocked a bill this week to restore access to contraceptives and make it clear that bosses cannot pick and choose what federally guaranteed benefits their employees can have access to based on their own personal opinions. I will continue working in the Senate to protect the rights of North Carolina women to make their own health care decisions - without their boss' input."

"We praise Sen. Kay Hagan for her leadership and vote in support of women's health as always. Like the majority of North Carolinians, Sen. Hagan understands that decisions about birth control belong between a woman and her doctor - not a woman and her boss," said Janet Colm, President & CEO of Planned Parenthood of Central North Carolina. "It's unbelievable that in 2014, politicians and now bosses are trying to interfere with access to birth control. This shows a troubling level of disregard for American women, who should be able to make private medical decisions without asking for a permission slip from their bosses."

The Protect Women's Health from Corporate Interference Act that would restore the original legal guarantee that women have access to contraceptive coverage without cost sharing through their employer-based health insurance plans. The bill would ensure employers cannot interfere in their employee's decisions about contraception and other health services by banning employers from refusing to cover any health benefit, service, or item coverage guaranteed to their employees and dependents under federal law. The bill is supported by the American Cancer Society

Nearly all women - 99 percent - will use contraception as some point during their lives. Since the coverage requirement went into effect last year, the number of women who got their birth control without a co-pay jumped from 14 percent to 56 percent. The average annual savings for women last was $269. In total, women in the United States saved $483 million on contraceptives thanks to the Affordable Care Act. Among those women were 917,000 in North Carolina alone who were eligible for preventive services with co-pays.

Senator Hagan has a long history of fighting for access to preventative health care for North Carolina women. She has strongly opposed efforts to defund Planned Parenthood, and as a State Senator, Hagan sponsored legislation to ensure North Carolina companies that cover prescription drugs also cover contraceptives.

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