Recognizing the benefit of removing barriers to access to contraception, the Department of Health and Human Services released a rule requiring insurance plans to provide no-cost birth control coverage. Some conservative groups have manufactured an uproar about this, claiming that it impinges on religious freedom to require insurance to offer contraception at no cost - despite the fact that churches and houses of worship may exempt themselves from the requirement. On top of that, many states have had similar requirements for several years without incident and the inclusion of contraceptive coverage in insurance plans has been widely required since the year 2000.

This rule does not requires anyone to use contraceptives and it does not require employers to endorse them. What it does is allows students at religious universities or employees of religiously-affiliated hospitals to exercise their own individual beliefs without the barrier of cost.

Some members of Congress are now attempting to overrule the administration by introducing bills that would take these decisions out of the hands of women and physicians, and instead let employers choose if women should have access to contraception. Write or call your elected officials today and tell them to protect access to preventive care for women, including no-cost contraception!