Elizabeth Warren: Denying women coverage under any guise is a big step backward
Denying women coverage under any guise is a big step backward
By Elizabeth Warren
MAYBE YOU saw the pictures. Five middle-age men seated at a congressional hearing table to discuss freedom of religion and contraception. And not a single woman was on the panel. Unbelievable. Do you think Congress would ever have a hearing on prostate cancer and only have women speak? Of course not.
Washington is so out of touch with whats happening to families across this country that the Senate is about to vote on an amendment that would allow any insurance company or any employer to claim a vague moral conviction as an excuse to deny you health care coverage. Heres the really astonishing news: Senator Scott Brown is not only voting for this amendment, he is fighting to get it passed.
What does this mean? If you are married and your employer doesnt believe married couples should use birth control, then you could lose coverage for contraception. If youre a pregnant woman who is single, and your employer doesnt like it, you could be denied maternity care. This bill is about how to cut coverage for basic health care services for women.
Lets be clear what this proposed law is not about: This is not about Catholic institutions or the rights of Catholics to follow their faith. President Obama has already made sure religious institutions will not be forced to cover contraception - at the same time that he has made sure women can get the health care they need directly from their health care insurers. Carol Keehan, the president and CEO of Catholic Health Association, said that Obamas approach protects the religious liberty and conscience rights of Catholic institutions.
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http://bostonglobe.com/opinion/2012/02/24/denying-women-coverage-under-any-guise-big-step-backward/HLh4hEudmKIJGgShv8NeTL/story.html
Scott Brown has a counter op-ed that leads with an egregious lie: