Over the last 48 hours a large controversy has erupted around the Obama administration’s decision to mandate co-pay and deductible free contraceptive coverage for the employees of schools and hospitals run by religious organizations. Leaders from the Catholic Church are the most upset by the decision, claiming the regulation violates their right of religious freedom. Republicans in Congress have also joined in the fray, threatening to pass legislation to reverse the mandate. Lost in all the rhetoric about fairness, equality, and religious freedom is the facts behind the controversy. Below are five of the most important facts readers can know.
Fact #1: The proposed rule does not affect actual churches
The proposed rule specifically exempts the actual churches from being forced to offer insurance policies that cover contraception. A Catholic priest and his secretary would not be forced to buy or contribute to an insurance policy that covers contraception. A Catholic doctor would not be forced to prescribe contraception it violated his religious beliefs.
The rule’s real effect would be on the numerous Catholic hospitals, universities, and schools across the country. Catholic hospitals do not use religious guidelines in hiring their workers. A Baptist, Lutheran, or even an atheist could be hired at these institutions. In many of these universities and schools a majority of the employees are actually not Catholic. The regulation requires that these employees receive the same coverage as other employees.
Fact #2: A majority of Catholic support the rule
While a number of Catholic leaders have objected to the rule, their parishioners do not feel the same way. According to a poll from the Public Religion Research Institute a majority of Catholics (58%) support the mandated coverage of contraceptives as proposed under the rule.
Fact #3: Over half of the states already require coverage of contraceptives
The rule that the Obama administration is trying to implement has already been put into force by over half of the states in country. There are 28 states which already require employers to provide a “full range of FDA-approved contraceptive drugs and devices. If the rule violated religious freedom, it certainly would have been overturned by the Supreme Court already. The reason the rule does not violate religious freedom is that it affects the organizations run by churches, not the churches themselves.
Fact #4: Contraceptive use is very common, even among Catholics
A study by the Guttmacher Institute found that 62% of women age 15-44 are currently use some form of contraception. Nearly all women (over 99%) who have had sexual intercourse have used some form of contraception, including the overwhelming majority of Catholic women.
Fact #5: Contraceptive use is very expensive with co-pays or deductibles
Most forms of birth control costs anywhere from $160 to $600 per year when women are forced to pay deductibles and co-pays. Without the rule proposed by the Obama administration, women would be forced to pay this cost every year, adding up to a total cost of up to $18,000 over their lives. Men, on the other hand, would be free of this cost merely because of their chromosomes. Some health insurance plans actually cover Viagra, which means men could theoretically be getting their stimulating drugs for free while women are denied their preventive drugs unless they fork out the co-pay.
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