Hands off my BC!
That’s what thousands of people are chanting on social media and in Washington DC today as the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) hears the arguments of several corporations who view contraceptive coverage for employees as a sin.
READ: 5 Questions You Should Ask Your Doctor Before Taking Birth Control
Pro-choice activists have been fighting to protect reproductive rights in America for decades. And as the general election quickly approaches this November, the conversation is ramping up on both sides of the fence.
Some companies already have been very vocal about their stance against women’s rights and health care. Hobby Lobby, for example, won their 2014 SCOTUS case in which they claimed religious reasons to get out of covering birth control in its health care plan for employees.
Here’s what you need to know about today’s follow-up case, Zubik v. Burwell:
Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) contraceptive mandate:
Obama’s Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires most private health insurance plans cover FDA-approved contraceptives and services for women. However, since the 2012 requirement, more than 200 companies have filed lawsuits claiming religious issues with the mandate.
With the SCOTUS ruling in favor of Hobby Lobby in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby, it’s technically OK for companies with strong religious beliefs not to cover BC in their health care plans.
READ: Getting Pregnant After Birth Control
Who are the plaintiffs in this case?
Zubik (the Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh)
Priests for Life
Roman Catholic Archbishop
East Texas Baptist University
Little Sisters of the Poor
Southern Nazarene University
Geneva College
Why are they suing?
READ: Getting Pregnant After Birth Control
ACA already exempts churches, mosques and synagogues from the mandate, but religious nonprofits like schools have to file for an exemption. These companies in the Zubik v. Burwell case believe that they should automatically be exempted from the mandate without requesting exemption.
Why is the contraceptive mandate important?
With this mandate, about 55 million more women with private insurance plans can get birth control without co-pay costs. Essentially, the mandate has increased access to contraceptive care, leading to a reduction in abortions and unplanned pregnancies across the country.
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