House Hearing on Contraception and Religious Refusals Discounts Women’s Health

November 2, 2011 12:00 am

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WASHINGTON – The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health held a held a hearing today on new guidelines released by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ensuring that insurance plans include coverage of contraception without extra out of pocket costs. HHS also included an exception that allows a limited set of religious institutions to deny coverage for contraceptive services.

“Providing American women with meaningful access to contraception is not an infringement on religious liberty,” said Sarah Lipton-Lubet, ACLU policy counsel. “Contraception is a basic part of women’s preventive care. Women need access to contraception to prevent unintended pregnancies, plan the size of their families, plan their lives, and protect their health.”

To read the ACLU’s testimony submitted for the record, go to: www.aclu.org/reproductive-freedom/aclu-statement-house-energy-and-commerce-health-subcommittee-hearing-hhs

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