Letters to the editor

OPINION: Congress should reject attempts to allow employers to deny insurance coverage for birth control

Posted on Sun, Mar 4, 2012 : 9:37 a.m.

We should ask Congress to reject any legislation that would empower employers to deny insurance coverage for birth control.

In the case of the Catholic church using the issue to sound like a victim of religious persecution, let us remember that it has freely chosen to operate colleges, hospitals, etc. in the secular world, employing and serving many non-Catholics and receiving taxpayer subsidies. Hence I feel that the rules of our society must apply.

The Supreme Court has ruled that Native Americans and Amish cannot claim religious exemptions from the law. Conservative Justice Scalia wrote: "We have never held that an individual's religious beliefs excuse him from compliance with and otherwise valid law."

We are in the United States, not in the Vatican!

Nearly all sexually active women -- 99 percent of them -- will rely on birth control at some point in their lives. Birth control is basic health care that lets women take charge of their health and manage ovarian cysts, endometriosis, and other conditions. Denying women access to this basic health care is offensive.

Congress must stop trying to take private medical decisions out of the hands of women and health professionals.

Marina B. Brown
Ann Arbor