Today, one year after the Supreme Court upheld the Affordable Care Act, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) released the following statement after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced final rules on the birth control benefit in the law, which will exempt religious employers from having to provide contraceptive coverage if they have religious objections, and instead provides for a third-party insurer to cover the full cost of employees’ contraception coverage.
“Today’s ruling strikes a fair balance between religious liberties and the reproductive rights of all women. Access to contraception shouldn’t be dictated by a woman’s employer, so I applaud the Administration’s work to thoughtfully implement this policy to make sure women across the country can access birth control without having to pay a co-pay.”