A Sigh of Relief for Young Women Across the U.S.

Statements from Debra Hauser and youth activists Tanisha and Jessika

Washington, DC – After months of constant activity by grassroots activists across the country asking President Obama to hold the line in the face of pressure from social conservatives, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced that it would not expand religious exemptions to no-copay birth control requirements of the Affordable Care Act.

"Today Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius stood with young women and did not bow to political pressure,” said Debra Hauser, Executive Director of Advocates for Youth. “This is a victory for science, common sense, and young people in America. Millions of young women at Catholic and religious affiliated colleges will no longer face barriers to accessing birth control through their student health plans. This decision is also a huge step forward for young people who receive insurance coverage through their parents’ health care plans at religious affiliated hospitals and other businesses.”

“The decision takes HHS one step closer to implementing the Institute of Medicine's nonpartisan recommendations that women's preventive services, including all FDA-approved methods of birth control, be covered in full,” Ms. Hauser continued. “We had hoped that all health insurance plans would have to cover contraception by removing the religious exception completely. Too often, young women's health becomes a political bartering chip in the halls of power. It is truly heartening when science and public health are able to survive the partisan politics of Washington. All student health plans in the U.S. must begin offering cost-free birth control coverage in August 2012, and the young people across the country will be better off because of it."

Tanisha Humphrey, a student at Georgetown University, said, “My friends and peers at Georgetown have been forced to pay out of pocket to make the responsible decision to access birth control. It is amazing to know that we will no longer need to rely on local clinics with already-scarce resources for contraception. It is long past time for health insurance to actually cover health care."

"Young women deserve loophole-free protection no matter where they go to school,” said Jessika Parry, who attends Boston College. “This is also a great day for young people who are able to stay on their parents’ health insurance due to the Affordable Care Act, but weren’t previously able to get contraception because their parents work at religious affiliated institutions. Cost-free birth control will have an enormous impact on young women's health and lives."

All student health plans must now cover no-copay birth control by August 2012. Religious affiliated institutions, such as Catholic hospitals, have been given an additional year to comply with the new regulations.

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Advocates for Youth is a national organization that promotes programs and advocates for policies that help young people make informed and responsible decisions about their reproductive and sexual health.