ASRM files Supreme Court brief against religious exemptions for contraception
The American Society for Reproductive Medicine announced this week they will join multiple medical organizations in filing an amicus brief with the US Supreme Court in the case, Sebelius vs. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc.
The purpose of this joint effort by the ASRM with the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and Physicians for Reproductive Health, is to object to the for-profit company currently seeking a religious exemption to the Affordable Care Act’s requirement to include contraception in health care benefits, according to the release.
“Contraception is part of basic health care for reproductive-age women and the ACA rightly classifies it an essential health benefit. Some of the most effective forms of contraception are the most costly; lack of an insurance benefit for these methods would remove them from the reach of many women for whom they could be the most appropriate. Whether or when to become pregnant are personal decisions a woman will want to discuss with a partner and a physician, but her employer’s religious beliefs should not affect them,” Rebecca Sokol, MD, MPH, acting president of the ASRM, said in a press release.