Attorney General Madigan Opposes Federal Administration’s Roll Back of Contraceptive Coverage Mandate

CHICAGO, Illinois, May 30 -- Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan issued the following news release:

Attorney General Lisa Madigan, along with 15 other attorneys general, filed an amicus brief today strongly opposing the federal administration's decision to roll back a requirement under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) for employers to include birth control coverage in their health insurance plans.

The amicus brief, filed with the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, supports a lawsuit filed by California, Delaware, Maryland, New York and Virginia to stop the federal government from implementing new regulations that authorize employers with a religious or moral objection to contraception to deny their employees and their employees' dependents health insurance coverage for contraceptive care and services.

The federal government appealed the case after the federal district court issued a nationwide injunction stopping the rules from being implemented. In a separate case, the state of Pennsylvania also successfully obtained a nationwide injunction. Madigan filed amicus briefs supporting the initial requests for a preliminary injunction in both cases.

"Women's health care decisions should not be dictated by the government, her employer or religious institutions," Madigan said. "Over 50 million women rely on contraceptive coverage as part of their health insurance plan, and the federal government will harm them by taking it away."

Since the ACA was enacted in 2010, employers who provide health insurance to their employees have been required to include coverage for contraception at no cost to the employee. As a result of the ACA, more than 55 million women in the U.S. have access to a range of FDA-approved methods of birth control with no out-of-pocket costs.

In the brief, Madigan and the other attorneys general argue the new regulations threaten the health and wellbeing and economic stability of Americans by depriving them of contraception coverage. They also contend the new regulations will force the states to spend millions of dollars to provide their residents with replacement contraceptive care and services.

In part, the brief states:

Contraception reduces the risk of unintended pregnancies, adverse pregnancy outcomes, and other negative health consequences. And by enhancing women's control over their bodies, contraception gives them the power to choose if and how they pursue educational, employment, and familial opportunities.

Joining Madigan in filing the amicus brief are the attorneys general of Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.