Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, Reverend Dr. Carlton W,. Veazey, President and CEO
We are on the verge of a tremendous stride forward in women’s reproductive health.
Today, a panel of health experts recommended that women be able to get their birth control prescriptions filled without a co-pay or deductible. You and I have advocated prayerfully and constantly for improved access to contraception for the millions of women, especially young women and lower-income women, who struggle every day to afford prescription birth control. Now, after a year of research and debate, the Institute of Medicine’s independent experts have agreed with us that birth control is a cornerstone of preventive health care for women and must be fully covered by health insurance under the health care reform law.
The ability to plan pregnancies is so important that RCRC considers it a moral value and a matter of social justice. Research and our own family experiences confirm that family planning helps to build strong families, protect the health of women and children, reduce child and spousal abuse, and prevent unwanted pregnancies and reduce the need for abortion.
But opponents of comprehensive reproductive health care – including the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Family Research Council – are fighting this breakthrough. They ignore medicine and science and equate birth control with abortion. Our work now will focus on urging the Obama Administration’s Department of Health and Human Services to include contraceptive coverage in preventive health care and to eliminate the cost barriers that keep many American women from using birth control consistently.
In the weeks to come, we will be updating you on our progress and asking for your help. Please watch for our email messages and visit us on facebook. A decision by HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on this and other Institute of Medicine recommendations released today is expected in August. Your voice will be critical to building support.
Peace and Blessings,
Reverend Dr. Carlton W. Veazey, President and CEO