Shaheen, Hassan Join Effort to Block Trump Administration’s Roll Back of Birth Control Mandate

Bill would nullify President Trump’s attack on ACA’s birth control mandate; Protect women’s continued access to contraceptive coverage

(Washington, DC)  – Today, Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) joined 33 Senate and House Democrats to introduce the Protect Access to Birth Control Act, which would rescind the Trump Administration’s interim final rules issued on October 6th that allow companies to interfere in their employees’ healthcare choices and force women to pay more for an essential part of their healthcare.

If enacted, the Protect Access to Birth Control Act would ensure President Trump’s rules have no force or effect, defending women’s continued access to contraceptive coverage.

“The relentless attacks on women’s health by this Administration are putting women’s access to healthcare seriously at risk,” said Senator Shaheen. “It’s imperative that we take action to ensure women have the quality care that they need and deserve, and to safeguard their personal health decisions from being infringed on.”

“It is essential that women have the freedom to make their own health care decisions and control their own destinies, and President Trump’s latest attack on that right is unacceptable,” Senator Hassan said. “Coverage for birth control, with no out of pocket costs, is critical for the health and economic well-being of women, who have saved over $1.4 billion since this benefit went into effect. I am proud to cosponsor the Protect Access to Birth Control Act, and I will continue to fight for women’s access to the essential preventative health services they need.”

Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), preventive healthcare, including the full range of FDA-approved contraception, must be covered without out of pocket costs. President Trump’s rule threatens the guarantee of contraceptive coverage for 62 million women across the country by eliminating the requirement to provide coverage for all employers and universities, including for-profit employers, if they have a religious objection. The rule also extends to publically traded for-profit employers and universities if they have a moral objection. Employers and universities with religious objections that previously had to make sure women had another option to obtain contraceptive coverage, would no longer be required to provide that accommodation.

Senators Shaheen and Hassan are committed advocates for women’s reproductive rights.

For years, Senator Shaheen has fought to increase coverage of women’s preventative care in the annual defense authorization bill, and just last month, added an amendment to an appropriations bill that would boost funding for international family planning and reproductive health programs, and repeal the Global Gag Rule. 

As Governor, Hassan successfully pushed to restore funding to Planned Parenthood. Earlier this year, Senator Hassan helped introduce the Save Women’s Preventative Care Act to ensure that coverage for preventative health care services, such as breast cancer screenings, birth control, and domestic violence screenings, can’t be revised or rolled back by the Trump Administration.

Text of bill HERE.

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