US Conference of Catholic Biships Speaking Out Against No-Cost Birth Control in the New Health-Reform Law

(As reported on NARAL's Blog For Choice)

More than 30 million American women need access to birth control. But, for many, it's simply too expensive. One in three women has struggled with the high cost of prescription birth control at some point in her life. 

Fortunately, the days of unaffordable birth control could end. Under the Women's Health Amendment, which is part of the health-reform law, contraception could be classified as preventive care. This means that it would be available to women at no cost in insurance plans that will be part of the new health-care system. 

NARAL Pro-Choice America cited this progress when Congress passed the health-reform bill last spring. Now we and our network of 21 state affiliates are making the push for no-cost birth control one of our top priorities this year. Donna Crane, our policy director, testified yesterday before a special panel appointed by the Institute of Medicine. She urged the panel to make birth control available at no cost, and explained that such a decision would mark a major step forward in helping women prevent unintended pregnancy:

In addition to bringing more than 30 million Americans into the health-care system, the federal health-reform law presents an unprecedented opportunity to improve women's access to comprehensive, preventive reproductive-health care by ensuring the affordability of family-planning services for all women. The current "system," such as it is, is expensive, uncoordinated, and, frankly, patchwork at best. Consequently, the United States has a far higher unintended-pregnancy rate than other industrialized countries.  Nearly half of all U.S. pregnancies are unintended, with more than three million unplanned pregnancies occurring each year.

Predictably, anti-choice forces, including the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Family Research Council, already are trying to block women's access to birth control. Their reasoning? According to one anti-contraception group, "We don't consider it to be health care, but a lifestyle choice."

NARAL Pro-Choice America will continue working to ensure that no-cost birth-control coverage is included as an essential part of the new health-care system. A decision on whether to include birth control as preventive care should come within the next year.