The White House

Excerpt from White House Briefing with Press Secretary Josh Earnest

     Q    ...Can you give us your reaction to the Hobby Lobby ruling? 

     MR. EARNEST:  I suspected that might be your first question today. 

     The Supreme Court ruled today that some bosses can now withhold contraceptive care from their employees’ health coverage based on their own religious views that their employees may not even share.  President Obama believes that women should make personal health care decisions for themselves rather than their bosses deciding for them.

     Today’s decision jeopardizes the health of women who are employed by these companies.  As millions of women know firsthand, contraception is often vital to their health and wellbeing.  That’s why the Affordable Care Act ensures that women have coverage for contraceptive care, along with other preventative care like vaccines and cancer screenings.

     We will work with Congress to make sure that any women affected by this decision will still have the same coverage of vital health services as everyone else.

     President Obama believes strongly in the freedom of religion.  That’s why we’ve taken steps to ensure that no religious institution will have to pay or provide for contraceptive coverage.  We’ve also made accommodations for non-profit religious organizations that object to contraception on religious grounds.  But we believe that the owners of for-profit companies should not be allowed to assert their personal religious views to deny their employees federally mandated benefits.

     Now, we’ll of course respect the Supreme Court ruling and we’ll continue to look for ways to improve Americans’ health by helping women have more, not less, say over the personal health decisions that affect them and their families.

     Q    Can you talk a little more about what options you’re considering to make sure that women have access to free contraceptives?

     MR. EARNEST:  I’m not in a position to do that right now.  Frankly, we’re still assessing the decision and its legal implications.  We’re also assessing what practical implications there are from this decision, including what companies are actually covered by the Supreme Court decision.  As you saw, the ruling referred pretty narrowly to closely held private-sector companies.  And I’ve described in my original statement that there are a range of other institutions that are treated in different ways.

     We’re also taking a look at what kinds of health care plans these companies have, and how many employees are actually affected by this decision. 

     So as we gather some more information, we may be in a position to better consider the range of options that are available to the President.  It is our view, as I said here at the top, though, that Congress needs to take action to solve this problem that’s been created, and the administration stands ready to work with them to do so.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT)

Sanders Calls Supreme Court Ruling an Attack on Women Workers

BURLINGTON, Vt., June 30 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) criticized a “very troubling” Supreme Court ruling today that lets some business owners opt out of an Affordable Care Act requirement that they cover contraceptives for women workers.

 
“Bosses should not be able to impose their religious beliefs on their employees. This ruling is another attack on the rights of working people by the 5-4 conservative majority on the Supreme Court,” said Sanders.
 
“At a time when tens of millions of women use birth control, there is no valid reason to restrict a woman’s access to safe, widely-used preventive services simply because her employer does not approve of what should be her private medical decisions. This ruling undermines the government’s interest in providing women access to preventive health care, including contraceptive coverage,” Sanders said. Sanders had joined a group of senators in a friend-of-the-court brief arguing that a  religious freedom law did not extend rights to for-profit corporations. 

Contact: Michael Briggs

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Catholics for Choice
Media Contact: Claire S. Gould

Supreme Court Hands Reins to Religious Extremists

“Today’s ruling by the Supreme Court is a devastating blow to real religious liberty in America,” said Jon O’Brien, president of Catholics for Choice. “The claim that institutions or corporations have a conscience or religious liberty is disingenuous and offensive. Conscience and religious liberty rights belong properly to individuals. The majority of Catholics use and support contraceptive coverage. The majority of Catholics support real religious liberty for all. The majority of Catholics will be disappointed by this ruling.

“These cases are about far more than birth control or access to healthcare. At stake are the religious liberty rights of all workers in the United States—their right to live their lives according to their own beliefs and consciences, and their freedom from having their employers’ beliefs forced upon them. This ruling is just the tip of the iceberg, with similar lawsuits from nonprofit organizations like the Little Sisters of the Poor and the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) in the pipeline. While today’s cases were about providing birth control through health insurance plans, the Supreme Court has shown that it will not protect the religious liberty of employees.

“What’s clear from today’s ruling is that the Obama administration made a terrible misjudgment by bending over backwards to appease the unappeasable. Aggressive lobbying by the Catholic bishops and their ultraconservative allies pressured the administration to cave on the Affordable Care Act’s contraceptive coverage rules, creating a loophole exploited by organizations—religious or not—to claim exemptions from the law. But even that was never going to be enough for the bishops and their allies like Hobby Lobby.

“As a result of this decision, organizations involved in reproductive rights and religious freedom need to work together and come up with a legislative solution. Religious extremists will not be placated by negotiation and compromise. Today, the Obama administration has learned this the hard way. Catholics for Choice will be front and center in the fight to ensure that this administration stops throwing women under the bus whenever the going gets tough.

“Women and men across the United States lost today—and not just the tens of thousands of employees working for Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood Specialties. They and millions of others now face the prospect of a future like that of ‘Sandra,’ a young science teacher at a Catholic school. Sandra took a pay cut to do the type of work she loves, but soon realized that working under the jurisdiction of a local diocese came with a hefty price tag. When she went to fill her usual birth control prescription, she was shocked to discover her new employer did not cover birth control, regardless of medical necessity. Paying out of pocket for the contraceptive method that worked best for her, a nongeneric prescription, posed a significant hardship on the budget she had carefully planned with her husband. But Sandra especially objected to the bishops’ interference in personal, private decisions about her reproductive health. Her story is all too common, and today’s ruling put the healthcare decisions of millions of employees at companies like Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood Specialties in the hands of their employers rather than their own.

“The truth is that requirements under the Affordable Care Act infringe on no one’s conscience. Under the guise of protecting religious freedom and so-called ‘conscience rights,’ however, employers like Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood Specialties are now free to trample on the religious liberty of their employees who wish to follow their own consciences when it comes to whether and when to start a family. The majority of Catholics across the United States who stand with these employees and their rights are sorely disappointed. While today’s ruling is a huge loss for workers and families everywhere, Catholics for Choice will continue to advocate for the real religious freedom of every individual and fight to ensure this bad decision is not the end of religious liberty as we know it.”

Notes to editors: Catholics for Choice joined an amicus brief with 29 other faith-based organizations in the Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood Specialties cases. The Catholic signatories, which reflect the diversity and values of the majority of American Catholics, also include CORPUS, DignityUSA, New Ways Ministry, Women’s Ordination Conference, the National Coalition of American Nuns and Women’s Alliance for Theology, Ethics and Ritual (WATER).

In addition, 44 members of the Coalition for Liberty and Justice—a diverse cross-section of communities, including faith-based and secular groups as well as those dedicated to women’s rights, LGBT rights, separation of church and state, civil rights and reproductive rights and justice—urged the Supreme Court to support real religious liberty for all.

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Catholics for Choice shapes and advances sexual and reproductive ethics that are based on justice, reflect a commitment to women's well-being and respect and affirm the capacity of women and men to make moral decisions about their lives.

Religous Coalition for Reproductive Choice
Contact:    Michael Mitchell
Director of Communications

Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice Decries High Court Decision
in Hobby Lobby Case as Dangerous Precedent

Religious Freedom Perverted to Privilege a Boss’s Faith Over an Employee’s

WASHINGTON – Regarding the decision handed down today by the U.S. Supreme Court in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. and Conestoga Wood Specialties v. Burwell, Rev. Harry Knox, President/CEO of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (RCRC), issued the following statement:

“The Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice is dismayed by the Supreme Court’s decision today in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. and Conestoga Wood Specialties v. Burwell which perverts our nation’s historic understanding of religious liberty. As a coalition of denominations and religious organizations, RCRC is gravely concerned about the Court’s notion that a for-profit corporation is able to exercise religion.

“No matter how closely-held, a corporation is still not a spiritual being – it does not pray or sit in the pews or bring casseroles to the congregational picnic like my family and I do. It is an insult to the uniquely sacred community cultivated by congregations to consider for-profit corporations legally synonymous with a religious institution.

“Even if we agreed that religious exercise can pass through an individual owner to their corporate structure, we reject the Court’s interpretation of ‘substantial burden’ in this case. A corporate CEO like David Green may be able to afford extra out-of-pocket expenses for his family, but many of his workers, like cashiers, don’t make enough to supplement their health-care costs. For minimum or low-wage workers, that $40 a month can make the difference between being able to support their families or not. It’s baffling that the Court has singled out a preventative health service on the basis of one religious view. By privileging a boss’s religious beliefs over the beliefs and conscience of individual employees, the Court’s decision today callously places financial and spiritual burden on thousands of workers until the Government can find a remedy. Our coalition sees contraception as a moral good, which is affirmed by our various faith traditions, and we pray for a remedy soon.

“Real religious liberty protects the rights of women to make thoughtful decisions about whether and when to use contraception in private consultation with their doctors, their families and their own faith – there is no place for a boss’s beliefs in such conversations.

“Over 90% of corporations are ‘closely-held’ and RCRC fears the many dangerous implications for millions of workers whose access to preventative reproductive care is now in question. We are eager to work with the Administration and our allies in Congress to ensure no further harm is done to women, other workers, or religious freedom.”

RCRC was one of more than 25 national faith-related organizations that joined an Amicus Curiae brief organized by Americans United for the Separation of Church and State supporting the contraceptive coverage rule, arguing that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act must be interpreted to protect the religious freedom rights of individual workers.

Americans United for Separation of Church and State

Americans United Dismayed By High Court Ruling Restricting Birth Control Access

Decision Elevates Employers’ Religious Views Over Employees’ Rights, Church-State Watchdog Says

The Supreme Court’s ruling allowing the owners of some secular, for-profit companies to deny their employees access to birth control is a blow to individual conscience and medical privacy rights, says Americans United for Separation of Church and State.
 
“This decision is a double-edged disaster,” said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United. “It conjures up fake religious freedom rights for corporations while being blind to the importance of birth control to America’s working women.”
 
Added Lynn, "The justices have set a dangerous precedent. While the Obama administration may arrange for the government to provide contraceptives, a future administration could easily take that away. In years to come, many women may find their access to birth control hanging by a thread.”   

Americans United filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the cases (Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood Specialties Corp. v. Sebelius) on behalf of diverse faith communities, arguing that the owners of secular corporations are not entitled to a religious exemption from the Affordable Care Act’s so-called “contraception mandate.” Hobby Lobby and Conestoga both cited the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), legislation signed into law in 1993, in their defense.

The AU brief noted that many people have different religious beliefs about contraception than their employers and explained that if the plaintiffs prevailed, “employees would find it more difficult to make personal decisions about healthcare and contraception in accordance with their own consciences.”  

“We are a country of great religious diversity, and American workers must be able to make their own medical, family and reproductive decisions according to their own moral and religious values,” said Gregory M. Lipper, Americans United’s senior litigation counsel and a primary author of the brief. “The high court is out of step with the reality of American society.” 

In addition to Lipper, the brief was authored by Americans United Legal Director Ayesha N. Khan and Madison Fellow Caitlin E. O’Connell.


NARAL Pro-Choice America

STATEMENT: NARAL Pro-Choice America Reaction To The Supreme Court Decision On Hobby Lobby

Statement of Ilyse Hogue, President of NARAL Pro-Choice America:

"Today's decision from five male justices is a direct attack on women and our fundamental rights. This ruling goes out of its way to declare that discrimination against women isn't discrimination.

"Allowing bosses this much control over the health-care decisions of their employees is a slippery slope with no end. Every American could potentially be affected by this far-reaching and shocking decision that allows bosses to reach beyond the boardroom and into their employees' bedrooms. The majority claims that its ruling is limited, but that logic doesn't hold up. Today it's birth control; tomorrow it could be any personal medical decision, from starting a family to getting life-saving vaccinations or blood transfusions.

"Ninety-nine percent of women use birth control at some point in our lives, and none of those stories made it into the arguments. It's outrageous that these five male justices chose to single out birth control for special discrimination.

"NARAL Pro-Choice America's message has always been clear: bosses who want control over their employees' personal medical decisions are offensive, out of touch, and out of bounds, and so is this ruling. We call upon Congress to right this wrong, and we will work tirelessly with our allies and member activists to make sure that the people who would stand between a woman and her doctor are held accountable."

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Contact:
Samantha Gordon
Planned Parenthood Action Fund

Contact: Planned Parenthood Action Fund Media Office

Planned Parenthood Action Fund: Supreme Court Rules Against American Women and Families

Ruling leaves birth control benefit in place for millions of women but gives some employers the new right to deny coverage

WASHINGTON, DC — Planned Parenthood Action Fund condemned today’s ruling by the Supreme Court that some for-profit private corporations, such as the arts and crafts chain Hobby Lobby, can deny coverage of birth control to their employees, for no reason other than the personal religious beliefs of the corporation’s owners. Following is a statement from Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Action Fund:

“Today, the Supreme Court ruled against American women and families, giving bosses the right to discriminate against women and deny their employees access to birth control coverage. This is a deeply disappointing and troubling ruling that will prevent some women, especially those working hourly-wage jobs and struggling to make ends meet, from getting birth control.

“This ruling does not strike down the Affordable Care Act’s birth control benefit. Today, more than 30 million women are eligible for birth control with no co-pay thanks to this benefit, and the vast majority of them will not be affected by this ruling. But for those who are affected, this ruling will have real consequences.

“It’s unbelievable that in 2014, we’re still fighting about whether women should have access to birth control. Some politicians want to get rid of the birth control benefit entirely and take away coverage from millions of women. To the majority of Americans, birth control is not a controversial issue. Birth control is basic health care – and it’s only a ‘social issue’ if you’ve never had to pay for it.

“We hope most businesses will do the right thing and let women make their own health care decisions. We urge Congress to act and protect women’s access to birth control, regardless of the personal views of their employer.”

BACKGROUND

After decades of discriminatory coverage by insurance companies, the birth control benefit requires all insurance policies to cover birth control with no out-of-pocket cost to women — rightly categorizing birth control as part of women’s basic preventive care.  According to the Department of Health and Human Services, 30 million women nationally are already eligible for this benefit. When the law is fully implemented, 47 million women nationally will have access to no-copay birth control thanks to the Affordable Care Act.

Thanks to the birth control benefit, women already have saved $483 million in the last year alone. Studies also show that women who receive birth control with no co-pay or at a reduced cost are able to avoid more than two million unplanned pregnancies each year, which also reduces the need for abortion. It’s not surprising that the public overwhelmingly supports the birth control benefit by a nearly two-to-one margin. 

Planned Parenthood has several resources, including a white paper and animated whiteboard video that provide background on the birth control benefit and what’s at stake with the Supreme Court case. A “Birth Control: We All Benefit” booklet includes 50 inspiring stories from women across the United States.

Birth control is tremendously important to women for all kinds of reasons, including the need to control certain medical conditions and to plan our families. Under the birth control benefit, women have access to this important preventive care at no cost.

  • The wide availability of birth control has been an enormous benefit for countless women and their families — enabling them to support themselves financially, complete their education, and plan their families and have children when they’re ready.
  • Virtually all (99 percent) American women between the ages of 15 and 44 who are sexually active have used birth control at some time.
  • A 2010 survey found that more than a third of female voters have struggled to afford prescription birth control at some point in their lives, and as a result, used birth control inconsistently.  This isn’t surprising considering copays for birth control pills typically range between $15 and $50 per month — up to $600 per year. 
  • Other methods, such as IUDs, can cost several hundred dollars, even with health insurance. For the first time, under the birth control benefit, IUDs are now fully covered by insurance companies without additional out-of-pocket expense.
  • For many women, birth control is used for a host of health care reasons. According to the Guttmacher Institute, 58 percent of birth control pill users cite health benefits as a contributing factor for using the birth control pill, including treating endometriosis, menstrual pain, and menstrual regulation.

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Planned Parenthood Action Fund is an independent, nonpartisan, not-for-profit membership organization formed as the advocacy and political arm of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. The Action Fund engages in educational and electoral activity, including voter education, grassroots organizing, and legislative advocacy.

National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health

Latinas Condemn Supreme Court Decision on Contraception

Religious liberty, critical health coverage for 4.9 million Latinas in danger

NEW YORK — Following the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that some employers will be allowed to deny insurance coverage for the full range of safe, effective contraceptive methods, Jessica González-Rojas, executive director of the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health (NLIRH), released the following statement in response:

“We are deeply disappointed in today’s decision, which deals a serious blow to Latina health and religious liberty. It is terribly concerning that this decision opens the door for bosses to interfere with the personal healthcare decisions of their employees.

“Like the vast majority of women, Latinas need and support affordable contraception. No boss should be making personal healthcare decisions for their employees, and denying coverage for contraception effectively denies women this important healthcare. In fact, the overwhelming majority of Latinas, including Catholic and other Latinas of faith, use and support contraception to help plan and prevent pregnancy. We’ve been fighting hard to dismantle the barriers Latinas face in accessing quality, affordable healthcare, and allowing employers to interfere undeniably takes us backward.

“This fight is not over. Latinas have been fighting for a long time for our human right to healthcare, and we’re going to keep fighting until that right is a reality for every woman, regardless of where she lives or works, her income, or her immigration status.”

NLIRH will be participating in a press conference to discuss what the Supreme Courts decision in the Hobby Lobby case will mean for women of color and their communities, tomorrow @ 1p.m. (EDT) via telephone. Details below:

SPEAKERS: Elizabeth Taylor, executive director of the National Health Law Program; Miriam Yeung, executive director of the National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum; Linda Goler Blount, president and CEO of the Black Women's Health Imperative; and Jessica González-Rojas, executive director of the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health.

WHEN and WHERE: July 1st, 1 p.m. EDT via phone. Dial in: 800.786.5819

INTERVIEWS AVAILABLE: All speakers will be available for interviews. Spanish speaking spokespeople will be available for interview after press conference.

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The National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health is the only national reproductive justice organization dedicated to building Latina power to advance health, dignity, and justice for 26 million Latinas, their families, and communities in the United States through leadership development, community mobilization, policy advocacy, and strategic communications.


National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
Mark Daley
Director of Communications

Hobby Lobby Ruling: bad for our health, dangerous precedent  

WASHINGTON, DC, June 30, 2014: The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force is describing today’s Supreme Court Hobby Lobby ruling as bad for our health and a dangerous precedent.

“This is a dangerous precedent from the Court -- which could leave women in limbo for their basic health care. Under the ruling, some corporations will be treated like religious institutions and these so-called 'religious corporations' will not have to pay for health care that they disagree with. So what happens if a woman needs birth control and their employers won't pay? What happens if a trans woman needs hormones and their bosses won't pay? What happens if a couple needs fertility treatments and the 'religious corporation' they work for won't pay? Yet again, another barrier put in the way of vital and affordable health care." 


Rea Carey, Executive Director, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force

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Democratic National Committee

Contact: DNC Press Office 

DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s Statement on the Supreme Court’s Decision in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby

Washington, DC – DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz issued the following statement today on the Supreme Court’s Decision in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby:
   
“I am disappointed and deeply concerned by the Supreme Court’s decision today in the case of Burwell v. Hobby Lobby. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, millions of Americans have gained access to preventive services without out-of-pocket costs, including birth control. However, this decision takes money out of the pockets of women and their families and allows for-profit employers to deny access to certain health care benefits based on their personal beliefs. Nearly sixty percent of women who use birth control do so for more than just family planning.
 
“It is no surprise that Republicans have sided against women on this issue as they have consistently opposed a woman’s right to make her own health care decisions. Republicans have also blocked the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would bring us closer to the promise of equal pay for women. In the wake of this dangerous precedent set by the Supreme Court, Democrats in Congress will continue to fight on the issues of importance to women and their families.”
 
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