Planned Parenthood’s petition needs 10,000 more signatures before December 5th to fight President Trump’s attack on birth control, according to a text sent out by Planned Parenthood on December 1st.
In October, the Trump Administration rolled back on a rule put into effect during Obama’s presidency, which required most employers to provide their workers with contraception coverage. The Department of Health and Human Services, Treasury and Labor made it easier for employers to refuse their employees birth control without co-payments if they have “religious or moral obligations.” This move, which was effective immediately, also made it tougher for women denied birth control coverage to receive contraception from insurance companies.
Birth control is used to regulate pregnancy and menstruation. It also treats medical conditions such as fibrositis and endometriosis. Before The Affordable Care Act, one in three women struggled to afford prescription birth control. The Act helped 6.2 million women by ensuring that birth control was covered in all health insurance plans. The U.S. is at a 30 year low in the rate of unintended pregnancy, and at a significant low in the rate of teenage pregnancies. For many young people, birth control is allowing them to get an education and work. According to one study, the pill is responsible for a third of women’s wage increases relative to men.
Almost nine in ten women will use contraception at some point in their lives. Birth control pills can cost up to $600 a year without insurance coverage. And anyone who knows anything about the pill knows that it does not have the most flexible schedule.
The future of contraception is hazy. Birth control is a right, and should be accessible to all, no matter who you are or what your income is. Click this link to sign the petition and prevent millions of people from being hurt by these new and dangerous rules.
