Arizona Birth Control Bill Banning Use For Contraception By Employers

http://www.ibtimes.com/arizona-birth-control-bill-banning-use-contraception-employers-back-spotlight-798937

By Nadine DeNinno
October 02 2012

It’s been almost seven months [more than two years, now] since House Bill 2625 -- dubbed the “Arizona Birth Control Bill” because it lets employers deny insurance coverage for birth control pills if the employee is taking the drug to prevent pregnancy and not for health concerns -- was signed into law by Gov. Jan Brewer.

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Authored by Republican Majority Whip Debbie Lesko, the birth control measure states that women who want birth control pills to be covered by their insurance plans must submit a form affirming that they need the drug solely for medical reasons. In addition, the bill grants employers the right to deny insurance coverage for contraceptives, abortifacients, abortions or sterilization if it goes against the company's religious beliefs. And some activists argue that the bill allows employers to fire or choose not to hire women who use birth control to avoid pregancy, even if they pay for it themselves.

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