Senate Republicans have blocked legislation introduced by Senate Democrats that was aimed at overriding the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling that for-profit corporations may refuse to provide their female employees with insurance coverage for contraceptives if the owners have religious objections to certain forms of birth control, according to a report from The Hill.
In June, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Hobby Lobby when the justices — in a 5-4 decision — the rights of female employees to receive the full contraceptive coverage promised by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act are trumped by the religious right of for-profit company owners.
The legislation, sponsored by Sens. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Mark Udall (D-Colo.) and 35 others, would have prevented the owners of for-profit corporations from seeking exemptions from any law based on their religious beliefs.
The bill failed to advance in a 56-43 vote, according to The Hill. After the vote, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said "Senate Republicans continue to demonstrate that they are out of touch with women across
Taking religion out of the discussion, Senate Republicans introduced an alternative bill on Tuesday that would prevent any employer from blocking any employee from legal access to her FDA-approved contraceptives. The bill contains language urging the Food and Drug Administration to determine whether birth control should be sold as an over-the-counter drug rather than requiring a prescription. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Congress should work to preserve a woman's ability to make contraceptive decisions herself without restricting Americans' religious freedoms.
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