WASHINGTON, DC—Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-3) is an original co-sponsor of legislation responding to the Supreme Court’s decisions in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood v. Burwell. The Protect Women’s Health from Corporate Interference Act of 2014 would prohibit for-profit employers who maintain group health plans for their employees from using religious beliefs to deny employees coverage of any vital health service required by federal law.

“Last week the United States Supreme Court put corporate desires before the needs of women and families, which is the exact opposite of the Affordable Care Act’s intent. Women should be able to make their own health care decisions regardless of where they work and without interference from their bosses. This bill protects employees’ rights to health services that an independent, non-partisan body has deemed crucial. It needs to be the law of the land.”

The bill keeps in place the existing exemption for religious employers, such as houses of worship, and accommodation for religious non-profits that do not wish to provide contraception.

Ninety-nine percent of sexually-active women use birth control at least once in their lifetimes, and 58 percent of oral contraceptive users cite non-contraceptive health benefits as reasons for using the pill. Fourteen percent of birth control pill users, more than 1,500,000 women, rely on birth control pills for only non-contraceptive purposes.