Women have the right to LIFE !!!

"I went to a Catholic university, and saw firsthand the terrible impact a lack of birth control had on the students. The inaccessibility of birth control doesn't stop college students from having sex. It just means more people did so unsafely." Sarah Audelo

Dear Advocate-

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently defined contraception as basic, necessary preventive medicine — but the Obama administration may be on the verge of caving to political pressure to deny students and employees of religious-affiliated colleges and hospitals access to this basic health care.

This means that approximately two million students who attend religious-affiliated universities will lose access to contraception without co-pays, potentially affecting their student health plan coverage.

Tell President Obama: Access to birth control IS basic preventive medicine. Protect the health and rights of young women!

Even though the HHS announcement was based on nonpartisan recommendations from the Institute of Medicine, a small yet vocal minority including the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has been trying to roll back this important advancement. In fact, just last week the President met with Archbishop Dolan, the president of the Catholic Bishops, who was quoted afterwards as saying, "I left there feeling a bit more at peace about this issue than when I entered."

These schools and hospitals serve Catholic and non-Catholic students alike — further, the vast majority of Catholics use birth control at roughly the same rates as the rest of the country! Women with health coverage from faith-based institutions shouldn't be forced to endure extra and costly steps to make the responsible decision of accessing contraception.

Take action now! It's time for President Obama to stand with the Institute of Medicine — not the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Young women who access health care through religious-affiliated colleges and universities should not be denied basic health coverage simply because their college doesn't want to provide it.

Let's keep the pressure on!

Link: www.amplifyyourvoice.org