FINAL CONTRACEPTIVE RULES RELEASED, CREATING MORE BARRIERS FOR LATINXS

Washington, D.C. — Despite pending litigation, the Trump-Pence administration finalized two harmful and discriminatory rules that allow employers to claim religious or moral objections to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) contraception mandate, a provision which guarantees insurance coverage for a wide range of birth control methods without out-of-pocket costs.  

The administration’s claim that employers need religious and moral objections assumes that employees share the same beliefs as their employers.  A new poll from the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health with PerryUndem found that more than four in five Latina/o voters agree that women should be able to get birth control regardless of the beliefs of their bosses. In addition, the vast majority of Latina/o voters (82%) do not see birth control through a religious lens, including 76% of Catholic respondents.  Rather, most Latina/o voters (86%) consider birth control as part of preventive health care for women.

Nina Esperanza Serrianne, policy analyst for NLIRH, issued the following statement:

“This effort by the Trump-Pence administration to undermine contraceptive equity creates discriminatory barriers for Latinxs accessing the birth control of their choice.  The final rules undercut the guarantee of no-cost-sharing contraception, which is one of the most significant gains for women of color under the ACA. These harmful rules infringe on private medical decisions and open the door for employers, schools and insurers to deny affordable birth control coverage to countless women who depend on contraception without out-of-pocket costs.  The National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health continues to fight for individuals to have access to quality, affordable reproductive health services without cost-sharing. ”

For more information on NLIRH’s fight for health, dignity and justice, visit us at latinainstitute.org or follow us on Facebook and Twitter @NLIRH.

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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 28 million Latinas, their families, and communities in the United States through leadership development, community mobilization, policy advocacy, and strategic communications