Rep. Watson Coleman Statement on Roll Back of Birth Control Mandate

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ) released the below statement following the Trump Administration’s announcement of a rule allowing employers and insurers to stop following an Affordable Care Act mandate to offer health insurance that covers birth control without a co-pay:

“Today, following the release of a dismal jobs report that validated the corrosive impact of this President and Republican-controlled Congress on the U.S. economy, Donald Trump found it opportune to further his assault on women nationwide.

Contrary to the narrow-minded talking points of my Republican colleagues, birth control is health care. Contraceptives have benefits beyond pregnancy prevention – treating thousands of women for medical conditions like endometriosis. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act’s contraceptive coverage mandate more than 55 million women have access to birth control without cost. We cannot rollback this progress.

I can’t think of any reason outside of mean-spiritedness, partisanship and anti-women animus that we’d roll back this essential access to care. This Administration and Republican-controlled Congress has yet to create jobs, invest in infrastructure or make good on any of the promises they made to the American people. Sadly, they have failed in their numerous attempts to strip healthcare from everyone so they’ll settle for just taking health decisions away from women.”