Monday, October 14, 2013

The Government Shutdown and Birth Control

      As the government shutdown continues and the House and Senate struggle to compromise, more components of the Affordable Care Act are factoring into the GOP's negotiation tactics. Recently, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) has attempted to rally the GOP around a "conscience clause" that allows employers and insurers to opt out of birth control coverage for women if they object to it on moral or religious grounds. Although Obamacare currently requires employers and insurers to provide free contraception in their health care plans, it has already exempted churches, religious organizations, and religiously affiliated universities and hospitals from this requirement, instead forcing insurance companies to provide free contraception to employees covered by religious institutions.

      Of course, adding this "conscious clause" could be very difficult for women who have begun to enjoy the free contraception provided by Obamacare. Though the article does not make the wording of this proposed clause clear, it may simply provide a loophole for insurers and employers who are not officially religiously affiliated but could opt out of free birth control by claiming that they oppose it on moral grounds.

      In an article on ThinkProgress.org, Igor Volsky notes how this move is just another tactic used by the GOP to gain leverage in a debate that is related but not the cause of the government shutdown. As the Senate has now basically taken over and is in the process of drafting a bipartisan agreement, the House Republican majority still holds a great deal of power in accepting or rejecting the Senate's plan. The article suggests that using issues like contraception as leverage, Republicans can eagerly oppose this deal to strike down important parts of Obamacare that are against Republican ideology. Women's contraception is unfortunately one issue that has become part of a larger strategy. As the Thursday debt deadline approaches and pressure mounts, many Senators are hoping that enough House Republicans cave and enough vote with the House Democrats to pass the Senate's bipartisan measure without this added clause. However, considering the Republican majority in the House and the minority of females in Congress, this may be a part of Obamacare that Democrats are willing to sacrifice to reach a deal by Thursday. If Democrats substantively represent their constituents, it seems unlikely that a conscience clause will pass, but if they are merely descriptive representatives, this measure may be an important component of compromise. Many Democrats, though, feel that any negotiation over the Affordable Care Act would be a loss, and this desire for party unity and loyalty may actually work in women's favor by not letting Republicans pass this conscience clause.

Works cited:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/boehner-tells-house-gop-negotiations-have-ended/2013/10/12/fa0d3f42-334a-11e3-9c68-1cf643210300_story_2.html

http://thinkprogress.org/health/2013/10/13/2775061/paul-ryan-debt-ceiling-leverage-deny-women-access-birth-control/




3 comments:

  1. I agree with what you're saying. However, I do not think that Democrats are willing to sacrifice contraception. The problem will be whether the Republicans will turn the tables on them and blame the shutdown on Democrats solely because of this lack of movement. - Erica

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  2. I agree with Erica. While right now it seems like every little disagreement can be used as leverage, I doubt the Democrats will sacrifice contraception. There are many issues surrounding the idea of free and affordable contraception that go beyond the Affordable Care Act. By holding their ground on this, Democrats can not only show unity, but gain extra support of all who benefit from this.

    -- Maddie J

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  3. I understand why this issue is religiously complex, but in this day and age people should not be allowed to force their religious beliefs onto others. If you don't like contraception then don't use it. You don't have to take it away from others who use it. This seems like just another way for the Republicans to try to drum up public support amongst their base by offering a proposal that will not work.

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