Dems: Happy birthday to ObamaCare birth control mandate

{mosads}”Yet once again, these gains for women are under attack this week,
as House Republicans plan to vote for the 40th time to repeal, obstruct,
and undermine the protections and benefits millions of women receive
under ACA,” Slaughter and DeGette said in a statement.

“It’s time for the House Majority to stop trying to take benefits
away from women and instead start working on the American people’s
number one priority: creating jobs and strengthening our economy.”

The birth control mandate requires that most employers cover a range of
birth control methods in their worker health plans without a copay.

It
is particularly contentious among for-profit business owners who object
to birth control and argue that facilitating access to it violates
their religious beliefs.

The mandate includes several exemptions and work-arounds for explicitly religious institutions.

Churches
and houses of worship can ignore the rules, and religiously affiliated
employers will not be required to pay for, offer or facilitate birth
control coverage themselves.

A federal appeals court ruled last week that the owners of
Conestoga, a private cabinet-making company, could not challenge the
contraception mandate because of their personal religious beliefs.

The
decision conflicts with another federal appeals court’s ruling,
increasing the likelihood that the issue will go to the Supreme Court.