Birth Control Roll Back Allows for Explicit Discrimination Against Women

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 6, 2017
Contact: Stephanie Reichin, 617-549-3745, [email protected]

Statement by National Institute for Reproductive Health President Andrea Miller

“Today’s announcement by the Trump administration of an interim final rule to weaken the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) contraceptive coverage mandate will allow employers, insurance companies and universities to deny women insurance coverage for birth control. The National Institute for Reproductive Health (NIRH) strongly urges influencers, policymakers and other advocates to speak out against this action by the Trump administration that directly violates the ACA’s guarantee of no copay birth control for insured women in the U.S. The public comment period will remain open until December 5, but the new rule takes effect immediately.

“A woman’s ability to control whether and when to have a child can determine the course of her life. The roll back of the birth control mandate puts women’s health and lives at the mercy of their employers, insurance companies and schools. Without access to the full range of contraceptive options, women cannot ever be truly independent or equal in the United States of America. In particular, people of color, low-income individuals, youth, immigrants, rural residents, and LGBTQ populations will be disproportionately impacted by this new federal restriction on reproductive health care.

“People in the U.S. overwhelmingly support access to affordable contraception; legislators in at least 21 states and the District of Columbia have introduced legislation this year to safeguard birth control coverage and six states and the District of Columbia passed these policies to safeguard the ACA’s protections. Regardless of what happens at the federal level, NIRH will continue to pro-actively arm states and cities across the country with the tools they need to pass legislation that safeguards access to contraception. We will not be deterred by this anti-choice president’s continued attempts to strip away women’s rights.”

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The National Institute for Reproductive Health (NIRH) builds power at the state and local levels to change public policy, galvanize public support, and normalize women’s decisions about abortion and contraception.