House Bill 2625 is back! People in Arizona are standing up to lawmakers who are out of touch and over-reaching when it comes to women’s health. And we are asking for your help again to contact legislators about HB2625, which will prevent women from accessing birth control. At the federal level, there’s already a provision that allows religious employers to opt out of providing birth control, but that’s not good enough for Arizona’s anti-women’s-health legislators.
HB2625 requires women to prove that they are not using birth control for contraceptive purposes before their employers will cover it. The original bill was so bad — even the far-right Center for Arizona Policy couldn’t get it passed — and the new changes don’t make the bill any better. Allowing religious schools, hospitals, and service organizations to opt out of coverage only increases the ability of more organizations to discriminate against women and families who are working hard to make ends meet. We need you contact our legislators to tell them that HB2625 is a threat to women’s health and is unacceptable.
Discriminatory language in HB2625 still allows employers to fire women who use birth control to prevent pregnancy, even if they pay on their own. Birth control is a part of women’s care. The Institute of Medicine recommended that birth control be included as a preventive health care benefit, because it is fundamental to improving women’s health and the health of their families. It saves lives, helps prevent unintended pregnancies, improves the outcomes for children, and reduces abortion. Continue reading
