Lawmakers are in a heated debate over abortion this year. But that’s not the only point of distinction between Republicans and Democrats in the General Assembly. Access to birth control is another flashpoint in Richmond.
Should insurance providers be required to cover birth control? Senator Barbara Favola is a Democrat from Arlington, and she has a bill that would have mandated coverage for birth control. But that effort was scuttled by Republicans.
“I am extraordinarily disappointed. This was the most common-sense bill. It solves a problem that everybody says we have. This is access to care that we should embrace. Why we don’t want to keep women in families healthier, why we don’t want to stabilize families I don’t know. But we’re going to keep working at it.”
Attorney General Mark Herring is having a little more luck with the courts, where he was able to win a preliminary injunction blocking President Trump’s effort to rollback contraception coverage under the Affordable Care Act.
“So far we are winning, and the court has blocked the rule from going into effect. And we’re going to continue to fight for women’s access to healthcare and make sure that they continue to have the right to make their own healthcare decisions.”
Republicans say Favola’s bill requiring insurance companies to provide birth control is largely unnecessary because most insurance providers in Virginia already cover birth control. Democrats say they want a state law in place in case Trump’s rollback is successful in the courts.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
