Media Center: Press Release

Physicians Condemn Court Ruling That Excludes Birth Control from Employer Healthcare Plan
03/22/2007

Call for Congress to Protect and Expand Contraceptive Coverage

New York, NY—The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit Court ruled on March 15 that Union Pacific Railroad, the largest railroad in America, did not discriminate against its female employees by excluding birth control pills from its health insurance coverage. The ruling affects all unionized female employees of Union Pacific and also affects courts in Arkansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota.

Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health, which advocates for comprehensive and evidence-based reproductive healthcare, today issued the following statement from board chair Wendy Chavkin, MD, MPH:

“Women’s health has been alarmingly compromised by this ruling. Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health believes that all women should have access to safe, effective and affordable contraception, and that healthcare insurance should cover the full range of available contraceptives. It is particularly ironic that Union Pacific covers Viagra for male sexual dysfunction but not birth control pills. Currently, 26 states require insurers that cover prescription drugs to cover contraceptive drugs and devices. That translates to millions of women who depend on their health plans for their contraceptive needs. Not only could this ruling affect the thousands of female employees of Union Pacific, the largest railroad in North America, but it could also have a trickle-down effect on other courts.

“Especially troubling is the court’s opinion that contraception is not related to pregnancy. You don’t have to be a scientist or a physician to understand the basic facts of life: that the two are intimately related. We wonder how many of the three million unintended pregnancies each year in this country could have been prevented by better access to contraception.

“Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health calls on Congress to act immediately to protect and expand contraceptive coverage by passing the Prevention First Act. And we call on all companies who care about their employees to cover their healthcare needs in a nondiscriminatory manner.”

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