Press Releases

WILMINGTON, DE – Today, Congresswoman Blunt Rochester (DE-AL) released the following statement following the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) decision to roll-back Obama-era protections for access to birth control. The new regulation issued by HHS allows a broader group of employers and insurers to exempt themselves from protections in the Affordable Care Act that cover contraceptives, such as birth control, on religious or moral ground.

“Access to a full range of reproductive, preventative, and family planning health services is critical for women across the nation,” said Congresswoman Blunt Rochester. “This Administration has chosen time and time again to attack Planned Parenthood and women’s health care, so it should come as no surprise that the President now wants to gut provisions of the Affordable Care Act that give all women access to affordable birth control.”

“62 million women rely on this protection, and the Administration’s decision would allow almost any employer to discriminate against and deny women access to birth control. The decision to start a family or not, is a deeply personal one, and it should be between a women and her doctor with no interference from politicians or employers. We cannot allow President Trump to roll back the progress we’ve made and deny women their right to choose their future.”

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