Schakowsky Statement on Contraceptive Regulation
CHICAGO – “I applaud the Obama Administration for acting so that women will be able to receive cost-free preventive contraceptive services, in keeping with the recommendations of the Institute of Medicine. These regulations are required because of two recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions.
In one case, Hobby Lobby, 5 male justices determined that for-profit corporations can have religious views. In the other, Wheaton College, 6 male justices issued a temporary order denying women access to contraceptives in response to the Wheaton College complaint that it was too onerous to fill out a form in order to claim an exemption from the law. Churches and other places of worship were always excluded from the benefit requirement.
It is unbelievable that today, in the 21st century, the Administration is forced to jump through legal and bureaucratic hoops in order to give women access to contraceptives. Women – 99% of whom will use contraception at some point in their lives – deserve better.”