Donald Trump’s everyday statements and his caught-on-tape moment proved he was a sexist and a misogynist. It should be no surprise then that he would remove women’s protections Obamacare afforded.
Obamacare ensured that most employers had to provide contraceptive coverage in their insurance plans. It was the right thing to do.
The New York Times reports the following.
WASHINGTON — Federal officials, following through on a pledge by President Trump, have drafted a rule to roll back a federal requirement that many religious employers provide birth control coverage in health insurance plans.
The mandate for free contraceptive coverage was one of the most hotly contested Obama administration policies adopted under the Affordable Care Act, and it generated scores of lawsuits by employers that had religious objections to it.
On its website, the White House Office of Management and Budget said it is reviewing an “interim final rule” to relax the requirement, a step that would all but ensure a court challenge by women’s rights groups.
Mr. Trump signaled a change in direction on May 4, when he issued an executive order instructing three cabinet departments to consider amended regulations to “address conscience-based objections to the preventive-care mandate.” The order cites a section of the Affordable Care Act that refers specifically to preventive services for women.
Donald Trump may have forgotten that America is not a theocracy. Laws should be devoid of religion. But he does not see it that way.
The new rule will fulfill a campaign pledge by Mr. Trump. “I will make absolutely certain religious orders like the Little Sisters of Poor are not bullied by the federal government because of their religious beliefs,” he said in October in a letter to leaders of Roman Catholic organizations.
Tom Price, the secretary of health and human services, welcomed the opportunity to re-examine the preventive-services mandate. “We will be taking action in short order to follow the president’s instruction to safeguard the deeply held religious beliefs of Americans who provide health insurance to their employees,” he said this month.
Ironically, the party that wants to abolish abortion will cause more unwanted pregnancies.
Researchers say the Affordable Care Act has increased women’s access to contraceptives, including highly effective methods like intrauterine devices and implants. They suggest doing so may have contributed to a decline in unintended pregnancies.
We will have a lot of rebuilding just like we did after Reagan and Bush, two steps forward, one step back.