On Thursday, the Senate killed an amendment proposed by Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) that would have allowed not only religious groups, but any employer with moral objections to opt out of the coverage requirement for birth control pills. President Barack Obama’s new birth control coverage rule requires most employers to provide health insurance coverage for contraception. Only churches are fully exempt, albeit as a compromise to religiously affiliated institutions, including Catholic-run hospitals and universities that oppose artificial contraception, the Obama administration requires insurers to cover the cost of contraception for female employees without charging additional premiums.
The amendment was killed in a 51 to 48 vote. The parliamentary maneuver only required 50 votes. Republican Olympia Snowe, who only gave up her re-election seat this week, opposed this amendment. Democrats reported the amendment as one that was an assault on women’s rights and could be used to cancel virtually any part of the law. Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York said, “If Republicans keep this up, they’re going to drive away independent voters, women and men, just as they are driving moderates out of their caucuses.”
