On Thursday, March 1st, 2012, the United States Senate narrowly defeated a proposal by Republican Roy Blunt of Missouri, that would have permitted not only church-affiliated organizations such as Catholic hospitals, universities, schools and charities to opt out of offering free birth control coverage under the federal health reform law, but also any non-religious employer with a moral objection to supplying such coverage. In addition, the Blunt amendment would have allowed employers to refuse to cover any other preventive procedure required under the health reform law if they had a religious or moral objection to the procedure.
Only one Republican Senator, Olympia Snowe of Maine, voted against the measure. Three Democrats, Robert Casey (Pa.), Joe Manchin (W.Va.) and Ben Nelson (Neb.) supported the Blunt amendment.
By way of background, the health reform law requires non-grandfathered health plans to offer free preventive care services, including (for plan years beginning on or after August 1, 2012) contraceptives. An exemption was made for churches. Church-affiliated institutions were originally not included in the exemption. President Obama later announced a policy requiring insurers that cover religious-affiliated institutions to provide birth control free of charge to the institutions’ health plan participants. The President’s compromise did little to appease many conservatives.
Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) voted for the Blunt amendment, saying that the Obama administration did not respond to her concerns about whether self-funded health plans of faith-based organizations would be exempt from the contraception coverage mandate.
Democratic Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) observed that “the principle mantra of Republicans on the campaign trail is that they seek more freedom for the American people. With women, the Republicans have a different idea about freedom. They want the government to interfere in the most personal aspects of women’s lives.” House Speaker John Boehner noted that he thought that “the American people are concerned about the government’s infringement on religious liberty.”