Analysis of the Affordable Care Act and the Birth Control Pill

Obamacare was signed into law in March 2010. The law covers various types of health plans, benefits, and services. Just years ago millions of women were paying for or couldn't afford birth control. Now, "an estimated 27 million women are currently benefiting from Obamacare's no-cost services” (Ressler). Birth Control is an ongoing debate on whether the pill itself should be covered for by taxes due to peoples rights and beliefs about its use. Another issue about the contraception is who how the pill will then be paid for regarding insurance companies.

A major debate is on whether or not Religious groups should have to pay taxes that go towards the contraception because it goes against their beliefs. Catholics are the major group opposing this proposition. 2 inputs “The policy sparked more than 60 lawsuits and pitted federal officials against religious groups opposed to covering contraception” (Viebeck).

The public opinion over the covering of birth control differs between men, women, and different types of religious beliefs such as Catholics. “This caused an uproar among Catholics and others who are morally opposed to birth control and sterilization” (Viebeck). “Insurance companies enlisted to provide contraception under these accommodations will receive a rebate from the federal government to offset the cost” (Viebeck). “Democrats believe that requiring the insurers to provide the pill for free will have no impact on health insurance costs” (Ertelt). "This columnist likes birth control a lot. To our mind, it is one of the greatest conveniences of modern life. As we are not Catholic, we don't share the church's moral objections to abortifacient drugs or sterilization procedures. But as we are American, we care a lot about religious liberty, and about liberty more generally. Thus we view the birth-control mandate as a particular outrage and ObamaCare more generally as a monstrosity” (Taranto). “About six-in-ten Americans (62%) have heard about the proposed federal rule that would require employers, including most religiously affiliated institutions, to cover birth control as part of their health care benefits.

Among those aware of the issue, opinion is closely divided over whether these institutions should be given an exemption to the rule if they object to the use of contraceptives: 48% support an exemption and 44% say they should be required to cover contraceptives like other employers” (Pew research). 3 the political system The covering of the contraceptive itself was started by Obama in his signing of Obamacare. Therefore, the president does favor it. 4 outputs types of policy "In a rule published Wednesday in the Federal Register, the Obama administration reaffirmed, “without change,” the narrow exemption for churches and other houses of worship. The administration said it would allow a “safe harbor from enforcement" for one year, while it revises the rule to address concerns of church affiliated organizations that have religious objections to covering contraceptive services” (Pear). "The Obama administration announced Feb. 10 that it would modify the mandate in response to criticism that the rule would force religious organizations to violate their religious beliefs in providing contraception coverage” (PEWResearch). “A narrow majority of men (54%) who have heard at least a little about this issue say religious institutions that object to the use of contraceptives should be given an exemption from the new federal rule" (PEWResearch). “Also, the largest Catholic pro-life group and Catholic television station have filed suit against the new Obama mandate that forces religious employers like them to pay for birth control and abortion-causing drugs in employee health insurance.

The EWTN Global Catholic Network filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Birmingham, Alabama against the Department of Health & Human Services, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, and other government agencies seeking to stop the imposition of the anti-conscience mandate as well as asking the court for a declaratory judgment that the mandate is unconstitutional” (Ertelt).Priests for Life, a New York based international pro-life organization of Catholic clergy and laity, filed a lawsuit against the Obama Administration in an effort to seek injunctive relief from impending regulations that would require the organization to pay for employee health insurance that covers abortion-inducing drugs, contraception, and sterilization” (Ertelt). conclusion

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