Burwell V. Hobby Lobby: Case Study

A Women’s Right To Make Her Own Healthcare Decisions

I am a strong pro-choice Democrat who believes that women must have the freedom to make their own healthcare decisions.

The landmark decision of Roe v. Wade ensured that women have the right to decide what happens to their bodies free from governmental legislation. The right for a woman to an abortion is a personal decision that should only be made by the woman through consultation with her friends, family, and medical professionals.

Sadly, numerous legislators disagree with this view and continually attempt to limit a woman’s right to choose. In Congress, I will fight against any effort that comes between a woman and her doctor and argue for strong national legislation to protect a women’s

Hobby Lobby (2014). The Supreme Court determined that for-profit corporations could deny health insurance coverage to employees for religious reasons.3 This was a poor decision. An employer should not be able to dictate the type of healthcare decisions made by an employee. In Congress, I would support legislation that restores employers’ compliance to provide contraception coverage.

Another important type of contraception is emergency contraception such as the “morning after pill”. These types of pills have been approved by the FDA and have been available for decades for women to take when necessary. These pills are vital to women’s health especially in the case of rape or when other forms of contraceptives fail. I will work to ensure that these remain available to all women and that means expanding healthcare coverage to include emergency contraception.

Women’s Health

It is vital that Congress change course so that these, as well as similar programs, be expanded. In particular, we need to protect federal funding for Planned Parenthood, which provides important preventive services for women such as mammograms and conception. In Maryland, more than 40,000 people rely on Planned Parenthood for health care every year and thousands of Maryland students receive an accurate and complete education about reproductive health from Planned Parenthood educators.4

The recent attacks on Planned Parenthood show just how far some will go to prevent women from taking control of their health and well-being. In Congress, I will fight against Republican efforts to defund Planned Parenthood, and I will never let the government come between a woman and her doctor.

It is also important that we provide accurate and proven sexual classes to our students. More than 80% of Americans believe that a form of sexual education should be taught in schools.5 The majority of these people believe that this education should be focused on various forms of birth control. Currently the federal government provides funds for these evidence-based types of education through the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative and the Personal Responsibility Education Program. I will support programs that seek to expand funding for programs that teach a variety of birth control methods