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February 14, 2012 at 11:23 AM
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House says bills in the Senate that would give employers broad leeway to restrict coverage for contraception are “dangerous and wrong.”
Press secretary Jay Carney took aim Monday at bills introduced by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. — a possible GOP vice presidential candidate — and Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., that would allow any employer to deny providing birth control coverage if doing so runs counter to the employer’s religious or moral beliefs.
Another bill, by Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., would go even further, by allowing health plans to deny coverage for any service that violates their beliefs.
Both approaches are far more expansive than allowing conscience protections just for churches and church-affiliated employers. President Barack Obama stirred up the issue recently by trying to get religious-affiliated employers like Catholic hospitals to provide free birth control coverage for their employees. The president bowed to intense opposition last week and declared that such coverage would be provided by insurance companies instead.
Carney said both the Rubio and Blunt bills take “absolutely the wrong approach.” He said it’s vital for women to have access to free preventive care, including birth control, no matter where they work.
