Donald Trump and his administration inched closer to stripping women of their reproductive rights last month when they decided to roll back the Affordable Care Act’s no co-pay birth control mandate, a move that now gives employers the right to deny contraceptive coverage in their health care plans.
Not only is this an attack on women’s rights, the move — brought forth by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Justice Department — is a deliberate and calculated blow to the overall health of women, all in the name of religious freedom.
But while the ACA also allowed employers to exempt out due to religious beliefs (as 62 million women still had access to affordable birth control), the latest rule is leaving women unprotected, many of whom can’t afford birth control or who use it for reasons other than pregnancy prevention.
In this episode of The OverExplainer, we explore just how important it is for women — especially Black women, who already face major health and pay disparities in this country — to have access to affordable birth control.
For more information on birth control and how to protect women’s rights, visit www.istandwithpp.org.
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If you're a woman you probably know by now that Donald Trump and his team of destructors have decided to roll back the Affordable Care Act's no-copay birth control mandate. That means that employers can now choose to stop covering contraceptives in their healthcare plans. [MUSIC] The Trump administration claims Religious freedom here. Trump actually said that he would not allow people of faith to be targeted, bullied, or silenced anymore as his reasoning for targeting birth control. Side note, the irony here is Is stunning. The ACA also allowed employers to exempt out due to religious beliefs. And that all happened while 62 million women still had reliable and affordable access to birth control. So let's be clear, this has nothing to do with religion. It has everything to do with stripping women of their rights. Birth control is not some unconventional controversial and life ending method women are using to be promiscuous. Seriously, there are people who still the pill causes abortions. If you don't understand just how important birth control access is, let me over explain it to you. More than half of women on birth control don't just take it to plan their families, or for pregnancy prevention. A large number use birth control for fibroids, menstrual regulation, and other issues. And by the way, fibroids are almost 3 times as likely to occur in black women than any other race of women. Speaking of black women, four in 10 said they couldn't afford prescription birth control costing more than $10. So this access is crucial. Nine in ten women will use birth control in their lives. That means you probably know someone using it right now. And of the 62 million women with access to affordable birth control under the ACA, 15 million are black. And considering existing health disparities Black women stand to lose the most if employers don't commit to protecting our coverage and our rights. And here's the thing. Unintended pregnancies are down right now. This administration wants to demonize birth control. But where are they when women can't afford to provide for their children? Right, they're complaining about the welfare state which is also a myth. Bottom line, if this administration really gave a damn about religious freedom, personhood, being pro life, and protecting our vulnerable, they would recognize that birth control access literally saves lives. But we know their morality stands. Until next time. [MUSIC]
