Ohio Lawmakers Take On Birth Control Battle

Ohio lawmakers voiced their opinions on Wednesday about whether birth control is a women’s issue or a religious one, 10TV’s Danielle Elias reported.

Lawmakers discussed the issue in front of the Health and Aging Committee, which passed the resolution and sent in along to the House.

“There’s a philosophical debate over who should be in charge of your health. You, your doctor or the government,” Republican State Rep. Barbara Sears said.

Lawmakers hoped to urge President Barack Obama to exempt religious employers from providing contraception, Elias reported.

Earlier this week, Obama agreed to a compromise requiring the cost of birth control to be picked up by the insurer.

“Taking away the payment function doesn’t take away their objection to having to provide this coverage,” Republican State Rep. Peter Stautberg said.

Others argued that the focus should solely be on women’s health.

“Making contraception affordable gives women and families the chance to make their own decisions about family planning,” Nancy Pitts, Ohio regional coordinator for Raising Women’s Voices, said. “A woman’s employer should not make that decision for her.”

Carolyn Jurkowitz, executive director of the Catholic Conference of Ohio, said that the committee’s approval of the resolution helped protect “religious liberty and freedom of conscious.”

The resolution put on record Ohio’s stance on the issue of contraception being provided by employers through insurance, Elias reported.

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