Hindsight: Access to emergency contraception
Access to emergency contraception, also known as “the morning after pill,” was at the heart of today’s arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court. Two for-profit companies, Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood Specialties, are challenging a provision of the Affordable Care Act that requires all employers, except religious non-profits, to provide access to emergency contraception as part of essential preventative healthcare. The companies argue the requirement violates their free exercise of religion under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
It’s not the first time emergency contraception has been at the center of a heated debate. Nine years ago today, FSRN reported on efforts to ban “the morning after pill” from health services within the University of Wisconsin system. Here’s the original story in full:
This week, students as the University of Wisconsin are on Spring Break and if one State Representative has his way, this will be the last Spring Break the students will have access to the “Morning After” Pill, also known as emergency contraception. Wisconsin Representative Daniel Lemahiew has authorized a bill that would prohibit the University of Wisconsin health officials from providing the prescription. Brian Garcia has the story.
The Wisconsin Assembly did eventually pass a measure to ban emergency contraception from state university health centers in the summer of 2005.
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