Question

Women across America are dependent upon the will of their state and the federal legislators, who are primarily male, as well as for-profit-health insurance companies; employers who provide insurance, and in some cases, religious organizations. What impact do these entities have on women's equality regarding reproductive rights as well as their socio-economic and emotional well-being? Key issues to consider: 1) Health care and gender equality; 2) the current state of government control over women's health; 3) government or employers’ refusal to provide coverage for prescription contraceptives; and 4) the conflict between contraception and abortion vs. religious freedom.

Answer 1

1. Health care and gender equality - In the United States the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) made it more possible for more people living in poverty to have access to healthcare, especially for women, however it is argued that the Act also promotes gender inequality because of differences in coverage.Women face higher rates of diseases in some such as breast cancer, osteoporosis and auto-immune diseases. Other diseases affect men and women differently, including diabetes, depression and cardiovascular disease. Women do not present the same for conditions and respond differently to treatment than do men.

2. Current state of Government control over women's health - Since President Donald Trump ascended to the White House in January 2017, the federal landscape in women’s health and rights has shifted dramatically as the administration has stalled and reversed years of progress. Attacks on family planning programs, rollbacks to the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) contraceptive coverage benefits, and reversals of patient nondiscrimination protections represent just some of the administration’s actions that undermine reproductive rights.Action at the state level has also been mixed, with many states pushing forward socially conservative and restrictive policies.

3. Government or employers’ refusal to provide coverage for prescription contraceptives - Refusing to Provide or Cover Reproductive Health Services is designed to give advocates, service providers and policymakers the data and resources they need to engage in ongoing policy discussions in their states. It includes information on state laws and policies, a synthesis of the relevant research, information on states in which the issue has been debated in the past three years and links to state-specific data. Contraceptive Coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has made access to the full range of contraceptive methods affordable to millions of women. Since it was first issued in 2012, this provision has been controversial and has been the focus of two major cases that have reached the Supreme Court. Following the Hobby Lobby ruling, the Obama Administration took the stand that almost all women had an entitlement to the contraceptive benefit and developed an “accommodation” to assure they would still get coverage, even if their employer had religious objections to contraception.

4. The conflict between contraception and abortion vs. religious freedom - U.S. Supreme Court jurisprudence undermines access to contraception by permitting individuals, institutions, and even corporations to claim religious objections to ensuring contraceptive insurance coverage, thus imposing those beliefs on non-adherents and jeopardizing their access to essential reproductive-health services. This jurisprudence is not only harmful but also runs contrary to the laws and policies of peer nations, as well as international human rights principles, which are more protective of the rights of health-care recipients to make their own decisions about contraception free from interference. The United States should look to the practice and jurisprudence of other nations and ensure that religious exemptions are not permitted to deprive a third party of access to contraception.