On Sunday, a federal court in California blocked the Trump-Pence birth control rules from going into effect on January 14 in CA, CT, DE, HI, IL, MD, MN, NY, NC, RI, VT, WA, VA and DC.
In response, Fellow with Physicians for Reproductive Health, Dr. Jenn Conti issued the following statement:
“I am relieved to hear the news that my patients in California who have access to birth control through the Affordable Care Act will not be left vulnerable to losing necessary coverage to the whim of their employers.
“Contraception is an essential component of health care. It not only allows women to plan and space their pregnancies in a way that is best for their health and their families, but also helps manage a variety of health conditions. Insurance coverage must include birth control without extra fees so that patients can choose the method that meets their needs and have access to it consistently and affordably.
No matter where you work, everyone needs and deserves birth control access.
“Every day, I see the impact that birth control access has on my patients’ health and well-being. The contraceptive coverage benefit under the Affordable Care Act has done so much to reduce the barriers to birth control that patients frequently faced. Let’s not go back to the days when patients were choosing birth control based on what they could afford, not what is best for their health, lifestyle, values, priorities, and future.
“No matter where you work, everyone needs and deserves birth control access. An employer’s beliefs have no place in these private decisions, just as they would not in any other conversation about a patient’s health care. It’s a dangerous intrusion into their privacy and their ability to get the care they need.”
