If Virginia’s House of Delegates gets its way, contraception might be cheaper in the Commonwealth, or at least easier to get.
For Democratic Delegate Candi Mundon King the Contraceptive Equity Act is about easing access to medication for women like Gabriella Watson. Watson told a House committee in January that she has a hormonal disorder called Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. It affects one in 10 women and causes debilitating pain. It can be managed with contraceptive drugs, but those drugs can be expensive.
“Access to contraception remains out of reach for too many," Watson said. "One of my closest friends, diagnosed with PCOS around the same time, faced delays in treatment because of the cost.”
Mundon King’s bill requires health insurance carriers to provide coverage for such medications, in line with related federal laws. But Governor Glenn Youngkin vetoed a similar effort last year saying ”any contraception-related changes must be coupled with robust conscience clause protections.”
Jeff Caruso with the Virginia Catholic Conference agreed.
“This legislation contains no religious or moral exemptions and would therefore force these organizations between following the law or following their sincere and deeply held religious beliefs,” Caruso said.
Delegate Josh Thomas spoke on the House chamber floor Tuesday ahead of the bill’s overwhelming passage with 70 votes. After recently having his first child, he said every family deserves the right to choose when to have children and these drugs help.
“Cause the decision to start or grow a family should rest with families, not insurance companies and not politicians,” he said.
The bill now heads to the senate where it’ll likely pass; whether Youngkin again vetoes the effort remains to be seen.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.