All
health insurance plans set to begin either on or after August 1, 2012
will be required to cover a variety of women’s preventative health
services: unfortunately the US Health and Human Services classifies
birth control and voluntary sterilization as “preventative”. It
should be noted that these mandated guidelines were established only
this morning, long after the Obama healthcare bill authorizing them
had been passed.
Included
with the forced coverage of birth control are abortion drugs such as
Plan B and Ella. These drugs work primarily by inhibiting ovaries
from releasing eggs, however there is evidence that they can also
prevent an embryo from implanting in the womb, earning them the
nickname “the morning after pill”. An effect many in the pro-life
community consider to be another form of abortion.
This
decision was not welcomed by all. Cardinal
Daniel DiNardo, chairman of Committee on Pro-Life Activities with the
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops was quoted as saying
"pregnancy is not a disease, and fertility is not a pathological
condition to be suppressed by any means technically possible."
Religious
institutions may be offered the choice of whether or not to cover
contraception services, however there is nothing in the bill that
gives regular employers the ability to opt out of this type of
coverage.
A
larger question remains: If insurance companies can be forced to
cover contraception and abortificiant medications, in the future will
they ultimately be forced to cover surgical abortion?