Another round of letters needed: Thanks for continuing to be heard and seen on this important issue!
A recent Associated Press story ran in the San Francisco Chronicle and many other papers (see below) under the headline Religious Groups Oppose Birth Control Rule and focused on the conscience exemption, allowing certain religious employers to decline to cover birth control without copayments and deductibles. The story may still be picked up by others. Kathy Bonk <asybinsky@ccmc.org> asks us to write letters to the editor.
To write to the SF Chronicle Editor:
http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/submissions/#1
Here are key points to make:
• While the Catholic church and the association representing Catholic hospitals oppose the provision, the majority of religious women support including birth control as preventive care, as do the majority of religious groups, such as Catholics for Choice, the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, the National Council of Jewish Women, the Religious Institute and the National Coalition for American Nuns.
[thanks to Raising Women’s Voices for the following, http://bit.ly/pxbsDi]:
• Covering contraception without co-pays is a popular policy. According to a recent Thomson Reuters- NPR poll, 77 percent of Americans believe that private medical insurance should provide no-cost birth control and 74 percent believe that government-sponsored plans should do the same.
• Adopting the IOM recommendations will improve women’s health. Women have unique health care needs especially during the reproductive years. The new HHS guidelines acknowledge these unique needs and treat women’s health with respect.
• Covering family planning is cost-effective and will likely save insurance plans money. According to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, there was no increase in costs at all after Congress required coverage of contraceptives for federal employees in 1998. And a 2000 study by the National Business Group on Health estimated that it costs employers 15–17 percent more to not provide contraceptive coverage in employee health plans than to provide such coverage.
• HHS has made an historic decision that will benefit women for generations to come. The HHS guidelines will be good for women’s health and pocketbooks. This decision will give women, their daughters and granddaughters access to the care they need to be healthy at all stages of their lives. It will also ease the budget pressures on families who are struggling in these tough economic times.
Publications that ran the “religious” article:
San Francisco Chronicle (CA): http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2011/08/07/national/w020759D54.DTL
Salt Lake Tribune (UT): http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/world/52341749-68/catholic-health-hospitals-religious.html.csp
Seattle Post Intelligencer (WA): http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Religious-groups-object-to-covering-birth-control-1751869.php
Racine Journal Times (WI): http://www.journaltimes.com/news/national/govt-and-politics/article_e43e8534-8777-5861-a643-06275ee68a39.html
Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/federal-government/catholic-hospitals-supported-obamas-health-care-law-but-now-object-to-covering-birth-control/2011/08/07/gIQAgDmp0I_story.html
Post-Tribune (IL): http://posttrib.suntimes.com/news/6941419-418/religious-groups-object-to-covering-birth-control.html
Newsday (NY): http://www.newsday.com/news/health/religious-groups-oppose-birth-control-rule-1.3081763
Forbes: http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2011/08/07/general-us-free-birth-control-catholics_8606920.html
Bloomberg Businessweek: http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9OV914O0.htm
New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2011/08/08/us/politics/AP-US-Free-Birth-Control-Catholics.html?_r=1&ref=politics
Times-Union (NY): http://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Religious-groups-object-to-covering-birth-control-1751869.php
Stamford Advocate (CT): http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/Religious-groups-object-to-covering-birth-control-1751869.php
Desert News (UT): http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700169214/Religious-groups-object-to-covering-birth-control.html
Boston Globe (MA): http://articles.boston.com/2011-08-07/news/29862037_1_catholic-hospitals-preventive-health-health-and-reproductive-rights
Herald Democrat (TX): http://www.heralddemocrat.com/hd/News/National/A0924-BC-US-FreeBirthControl–3rdLd-Writethru-08-07-1088
Connecticut Post (CT): http://www.ctpost.com/news/article/Religious-groups-object-to-covering-birth-control-1751869.php
Boston Herald (MA): http://www.bostonherald.com/news/national/general/view/20110807religious_groups_object_to_covering_birth_control/srvc=news&position=recent_bullet
ABC News: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=14249390
Ledger-Enquirer (GA): http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2011/08/07/1685327/religious-groups-object-to-covering.html
News Times (CT): http://www.newstimes.com/news/article/Religious-groups-object-to-covering-birth-control-1751869.php
Star Tribune (WI): http://m.startribune.com/nation/?id=127087808&c=y
Oakland Press (MI): http://www.theoaklandpress.com/articles/2011/08/07/news/nation_and_world/doc4e3edf1d2697b577785282.txt
Argus-Press (MI): http://www.argus-press.com/news/national/article_2ddd051b-ac43-53ff-be21-418dd51063ca.html
New Haven Register (CT): http://nhregister.com/articles/2011/08/07/news/doc4e3eb7c903134688198745.txt
Galveston Daily News (TX): http://galvestondailynews.com/ap/4a36f1
Las Vegas Sun (NV): http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2011/aug/07/us-free-birth-control-catholics/
Miami Herald (FL): http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/08/07/2348696/religious-groups-object-to-covering.html
The Herald (SC): http://www.heraldonline.com/2011/08/07/3276695/religious-groups-object-to-covering.html
Cleveland Plain Dealer (OH): http://www.cleveland.com/newsflash/index.ssf/story/religious-groups-object-to-covering-birth-control/3902ef64cdc24ca9aef5aab27d96bf28
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (PA): http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11220/1165920-114.stm
Bellingham Herald (WA): http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2011/08/07/2132621/religious-groups-object-to-covering.html
Syracuse (NY): http://www.syracuse.com/newsflash/index.ssf/story/religious-groups-object-to-covering-birth-control/3902ef64cdc24ca9aef5aab27d96bf28
Kansas City Star (KS): http://www.kansascity.com/2011/08/07/3061701/religious-groups-object-to-covering.html
Modesto Bee (CA): http://www.modbee.com/2011/08/07/1806288/religious-groups-object-to-covering.html
Evansville Courier & Press (IN): http://www.courierpress.com/news/2011/aug/07/religious-groups-object-covering-birth-control/?print=1
New Hampshire Journal (NH): http://nhjournal.com/2011/08/08/religious-groups-object-to-covering-birth-control/
Thanks! – Ellen