thefilmarchive.org February 7, 2012 With the exception of churches and houses of worship, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act mandates contraceptive coverage for all employers and educational institutions. The mandate applies to all new health insurance plans effective August 2012. It controversially includes Christian hospitals, Christian charities, Catholic universities, and other enterprises owned or controlled by religious organizations that oppose contraception on doctrinal grounds. Regulations[24] made under the act rely on the recommendations of the Institute of Medicine, which concluded that birth control is medically necessary “to ensure women’s health and well-being.” In February 2012, a major political controversy erupted with candidates for the Republican nomination for President viewing the regulations as a “direct attack on religious liberty”.[25] However, certain aspects of the mandate are not new. In December 2000, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ruled that companies that provided prescription drugs to their employees but didn’t provide birth control were in violation of Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which prevents discrimination on the basis of sex. That opinion, which the George W. Bush administration did nothing to alter or withdraw when it took office the next month, is still in effect today — and because it relies on Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, it applies to all employers with 15 or more employees. Currently …
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