Washington Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell are fighting back against President Donald Trump’s rollback of the birth control mandate.
Trump issued a rule Oct. 6 that allows companies to decline birth control coverage if they have a religious or moral objection. The policy takes effect immediately.
Murray and Cantwell, both Democrats, introduced the Protect Access to Birth Control Act on Thursday to repeal Trump’s ruling.
“President Trump wants to make birth control about ideology, but let’s be clear: for women and their families in the 21st century, birth control is about being healthy and financially secure — and that’s why Democrats are going to keep fighting back against his shameful attacks on women with this bill and any other way we can,” Murray said in a press release.
The birth control provision was one of the most controversial included in the Affordable Care Act. Employer insurance policies were required to cover contraceptives without cost under the preventative health care clause. Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson filed suit against Trump over this issue Oct. 9.
“President Trump’s contraception rules are unfair, unlawful, and unconstitutional,” Ferguson said in a statement. “I refuse to let President Trump disregard our laws and our constitution in an effort to deny women access to contraception.”
The step taken by the Trump Administration is another chip in the ACA. Ferguson argued that it violates the First Amendment because it subjects individuals to “the burdens of religions to which they do not belong.” He also argued it violated the Fifth Amendment which guarantees equal protection as the rule affects women but not men.
“This Administration has continued to roll back women’s health and women’s rights. Women must have access to vital preventive health care, including birth control, and employers should not be allowed to cherry-pick essential benefits,” Cantwell said in a press release. “This legislation protects women’s access to contraceptives and birth control, no matter who their boss is.”
