Ranking Member Scott Statement on the Trump Administration’s Actions to Undermine Women’s Preventive Health Care
WASHINGTON – Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and Treasury finalized two rules that give employers and institutions of higher education the ability to deny women coverage for preventive services based on “religious or moral” objections.
“The recent decision by the Departments to roll back protections for insurance coverage of preventive health care under the guise of religious liberty is a direct attack on a basic health care service for millions of women across the country. These new rules are discriminatory, unjustified, and contrary to congressional intent.
“Central to the creation and implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is the belief that access to comprehensive health care, including preventive care services, improves the lives of millions of Americans. The Departments’ new rules are not only antithetical to the ACA’s goal of expanding access to preventive care and improving health outcomes, but also fail to uphold a balance between religious freedom and basic civil rights.
“In light of the administration’s latest actions, I continue to press for the immediate passage of the Do No Harm Act, introduced by Congressman Joe Kennedy and me last year. The Do No Harm Act would amend the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) to clarify that no one can cite religious belief as grounds to undermine Civil Rights Act protections, limit access to healthcare, and refuse service to minority populations.”
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