By Sahil Kapur
Legislation introduced by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) to reverse the Obama administrations birth control rule would effectively permit any employer to deny contraception coverage in their employee health plans, critics note.
Any employer could deny birth control coverage under Rubios bill and all the employer would have to do is say its for a religious reason, said Jessica Arons, Director of the Womens Health and Rights Program at the liberal Center for American Progress. There is no test to prove eligibility. Its a loophole you could drive a truck through.
The Rubio bill, The Religious Freedom Restoration Act, comes in response to a Catholic firestorm over the fact that the administrations exemption on its birth control rule does not include religious hospitals and universities along with churches. But this bill appears to go far beyond that, permitting any employer to claim the religious exemption without a criteria.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) told reporters Thursday the measure would grant the exemption to not just Catholic employers to all employers.
Rubios spokesman did not respond to a request for comment.
More: Rubio Bill Lets ANY Employer Deny Birth Control Coverage | TPMDC