July 10, 2020 — Right on the heels of last week’s June Medical v Russo decision, the Supreme Court ruled in favor Wednesday of the Trump-Pence Administration’s discriminatory birth control rules. These rules allow virtually any employer or university to exempt itself, for religious or moral reasons, from the Affordable Care Act’s mandate that health care plans cover contraception without out-of-pocket costs. 

Thanks to the ACA’s mandate, over 61 million people now have access to birth control without cost. By allowing these discriminatory rules to move forward, SCOTUS has threatened access to birth control for hundreds of thousands of people, disproportionately affecting Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), LGBTQ people, and those living in poverty. 

During a national uprising for Black lives and a global pandemic that is disproportionately harming People of Color, the Court has moved to further take away critical health care services from those who need it, broadening racial and economic disparities. They have also opened up further opportunities for discrimination on the basis of “religious freedom.” As a member of the Coalition for Liberty & Justice, RHAP recognizes that public policies that impose one religious viewpoint on all are discriminatory. We hold that individuals must be able to make decisions about their reproductive lives in accordance with their own personal beliefs, not those imposed by employers and universities. 

We condemn this decision and reaffirm our commitment to ensuring that reproductive health care is accessible, safe, and equitable for everyone.

This is not the end of the road. The Supreme Court remanded this case back down to the lower court, and Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro has vowed to continue the fight. But we need our elected officials in Congress to act now and ensure that the Trump Administration does not implement these devastating rules. 

The Reproductive Health Access Project mobilizes, trains, and supports primary care clinicians to provide reproductive health care, including the full scope of contraceptive care. We are guided by the belief that reproductive health care is essential and basic health care that must be accessible to everyone. We focus our efforts on ensuring that all barriers are eliminated and that everyone can freely obtain affordable, compassionate, evidence-based reproductive health care.