Ohio Democrats Introduce Birth Control Bill

Democrats in the Ohio Legislature are introducing a bill that they say would require employer provided health care insurance plans that cover prescription drugs to cover contraceptives under the same terms without charging a co-pay. Democratic State Rep. Kathleen Clyde says the bill would make sure Ohio companies would not be able to use religious freedom as Hobby Lobby did in a recent Supreme Court case as a way to prevent their employees from getting I U D’s and birth control pills. “We have to act to protect women from interference from their employers in their personal, private health decisions. We have to act because, plain and simple, your health care is not your boss’s business," Clyde said Tuesday. Clyde says this bill would not contradict the Supreme Court’s ruling because it only affects private companies under limited parameters. The bill would also mandate that companies could not discriminate against employees because of their reproductive health care decisions. Regardless of its legality, the bill stands little chance of passing the GOP-controlled legislature.