Supreme Court ruling leaves millions of people in limbo over contraceptive coverage

Washington, DC, May 16, 2016—Today, the United States Supreme Court refused to issue a ruling on Zubik v. Burwell, a case brought by religiously affiliated non-profit groups challenging the contraceptive mandate of the Affordable Care Act. In February, the National LGBTQ Task Force joined 28 local and national LGBTQ rights, civil rights, youth advocacy, and reproductive health, rights and justice organizations in filing an amicus brief in support of respondents in Zubik v. Burwell.

“Today, the Supreme Court missed an enormous opportunity to rule once and for all that the Affordable Care Act requires employers to provide seamless contraceptive coverage to their employees, regardless of the employers’ religious belief. Now, millions of employees — many of whom are LGBTQ — and their dependents, must wait for lower appellate courts to ultimately decide whether they will be guaranteed the right to access seamless reproductive healthcare.  While we are hopeful that these lower courts will make the right decision, this ruling demonstrates the urgent need for the United States Senate to do its job and confirm a new Supreme Court Justice immediately. Healthcare delayed is health care denied,” said Candace Bond-Theriault, Policy Counsel, National LGBTQ Task Force.

This ruling comes only days after the Department of Health and Human Services released its landmark final rule, Section 1557, which prohibits discrimination in the provision of healthcare services. This final rule did not contain a religious exemption.

-30-

CONTACT:
Jorge Amaro
Media and Public Relations Director
213-842-7564
jamaro@thetaskforce.org