As the Senate is
set to vote on the Democrats' legislation to overturn the
Hobby Lobby decision and protect birth control coverage for all women, the White House
provided a strong message of support.
The Administration strongly supports legislation that would give women affected by the Supreme Court's decision in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., the same coverage that everyone else is offered without interference by their employers.
Preventive health services, when accessible and affordable, have the potential to prevent disease, manage chronic illness, and save lives as well as dollars. […] Contraception has significant health benefits, as documented by the independent Institute of Medicine, and coverage removes cost as a barrier to its use. One study found that in 2013, the year the coverage requirement started, utilization increased and women saved $483 million.
[…] This legislation is consistent with the congressional intent in enacting the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993.
This legislation is not going to succeed. It won't get past a Republican filibuster, and the White House is going to have to act in some way to resolve the issue and restore contraceptive coverage to the women who work for all the companies that are going to be claiming this exemption. But this is a good start, particularly for November.