Missouri law for employers to exempt birth control coverage struck down

[pampango]

Source: UK Guardian

A federal judge has struck down a Missouri law exempting moral objectors from mandatory birth control coverage because it conflicts with an insurance requirement under President Barack Obama's healthcare law.

The ruling by US district judge Audrey Fleissig cites a provision in the US constitution declaring that federal laws take precedence over contradictory state laws. But Fleissig emphasized that she was taking no position on the merits of the Obama administration policy, which requires insurers to cover contraception at no additional cost to women.

The Missouri law requires insurers to issue policies without contraception coverage if individuals or employers assert that the use of birth control violates their "moral, ethical or religious beliefs". The state's Republican-led Legislature overrode the veto of Democratic governor Jay Nixon last September to enact the law, which appeared to be the first in the nation to directly rebut the Obama administration's contraception policy.

Peter Brownlie, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri, praised the ruling for ensuring "that all Missouri women – no matter who their boss is – have access to basic preventive health care without a co-pay, including birth control."

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/mar/19/missouri-employers-exempt-birth-control

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Though no announcement of an appeal has been issued, republican politicians in Missouri will probably insure that an appeal is forthcoming. Anyway this ruling is positive news for women.

Obamacare - 1, republican war on women - 0.

[logosoco]

1. Glad to see someone in the Missouri court system is doing their job.

I still would like to know if these companies, rejecting the birth control option also had objections for drugs such as viagra.

[themidniteskulker]

2. Maybe it's reversed, but it's still a success

The MO legislators who passed this abomination will still get credit from their faith-based base and from their rich sugar daddies, as I believe these people always do. It appears that the more ridiculous and anti-public the measure, or even just the pronouncements of these people, the more money and favorable coverage they get from their benefactor/managers and the media. That's the system we have. Why do you think Michele Bachmann, Louie Gohmert, Joe Barton, et al, sounds so stupid? That's what they're hired to do. There's big corporate/billionaire money in stupid.

[idwiyo]

3. K&R