The Conservative War on Birth Control Marches On
You might like your boss or you might hate your boss, but either way there’s probably one place you don’t want your boss hanging around: in your bedroom. But that’s exactly where Republicans want to put your boss — in your bedroom and in between you and your doctor when it comes to making your own personal health care decisions.
Here’s the rundown of this week’s battle in the conservative war on birth control and women’s health care.
WHO: Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO) and allies including Sens. Scott Brown (R-MA), Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Kelly Ayotte (R-NH).
WHAT: Legislation that would allow ANY employer or insurance company to deny ANY essential or preventative health care benefit for essentially ANY reason. Benefits that could be denied include:
- contraception
- cancer screenings
- diabetes screenings
- STD screenings
- prenatal care
- mental health coverage
This bill is so extreme that if your boss believed in healing exclusively through the power of prayer, he would have sufficient legal grounds to deny you coverage for various medical conditions. If your boss had a moral objection to single mothers, he could deny unmarried pregnant women prenatal coverage. Or if your boss had a “moral” objection to overweight people, diabetes screenings would not have to be covered.
Under the conservative plan, all of the above would be perfectly legal. Under the progressive plan — the Affordable Care Act, Americans and their doctors are in charge of their health care decisions, not insurance companies and your boss.
WHERE: The legislation’s proponents are attempting to attach this measure to a completely unrelated bill — the surface transportation re-authorization bill (aka the highway bill).
WHEN: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) announced earlier today that the Senate would vote on the measure on Thursday.
IN ONE SENTENCE: Conservatives want to take away affordable access to birth control and put your boss in your bedroom and in charge of your most personal health care decisions.
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