July 17, 2014 – More Barriers

Podcast: Download (Duration: 1:07 — 1.0MB)

Subscribe: RSS

Anchor lead:  Will allowing some employers exceptions to federal law create more barriers to family planning freedom? Elizabeth Tracey reports

Worldwide, access to family planning services, among them contraception, is acknowledged by the World Health Organization as a desirable goal to promote the health of women and children.  How does the recent Supreme Court decision allowing Hobby Lobby to opt out of providing contraceptive coverage affect that goal? Amy Tsui, a family planning expert at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, comments.

Tsui: It does create new barriers because you would now have to ask your employer if you’re going to a private corporation do they have religiously held believes that prevent them from offering contraception through their health insurance and this is a very awkward kind of situation for employer and employee. What is most disconcerting about it all is birth control is used by 99% of people who have ever had sex so why are we mandating against something that is such a universal practice already?  :31

At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.