Central Floridians rally against Hobby Lobby, throw support behind ‘Not My Boss’ Business’ Bill

Today, Planned Parenthood staff, volunteers, and elected officials in Central Florida came together to raise awareness and rally against the Hobby Lobby ruling and encourage the passage of The Protect Women’s Health from Corporate Interference Act, also known as the “Not My Boss’ Business Bill.” The Protect Women’s Health from Corporate Interference Act comes on the heels of the devastating and unpopular Supreme Court ruling in favor of arts and crafts chain Hobby Lobby — giving bosses a legal right to deny their employees access to insurance coverage of birth control without a copay, as required by the Affordable Care Act.

Before the rally, which took place at Winter Garden City Hall, constituents of District 10 met with Congressman Daniel Webster’s staff to drop off 135 petitions in opposition to the Hobby Lobby decision.

“It’s unbelievable that in 2014, politicians and now bosses are trying to interfere with access to birth control. This shows a troubling level of disregard for American women, who should be able to make private medical decisions without asking for a permission slip from their bosses,” stated Anna Eskamani, Director of External Affairs for Planned Parenthood of Greater Orlando. “As a leading advocate for women’s reproductive health care in Florida, we are committed to making sure women can get the no-copay birth control benefit that we and others fought so hard to pass and protect.”

After decades of discriminatory coverage by insurance companies, the birth control benefit requires all insurance policies to cover birth control with no out-of-pocket cost to women — rightly categorizing birth control as part of women’s basic preventive care.  This bill will restore the original legal guarantee that women have access to contraceptive coverage through their employment-based insurance plans and will protect coverage of other health services from employer interference as well. One of the dangers of the Supreme Court’s decision is that it may embolden employers to try to refuse to cover other critical health services such as vaccines, blood transfusions and HIV treatment.  As Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg stated in her dissent “[t]he Court, I fear, has ventured into a minefield.”

State Senator Geraldine Thompson agreed, and told the crowd that with the recent need to redraw district maps in Florida, politicians are known for making mistakes: “Politicians often get it wrong, and we see an example here of Supreme Court Justices who got it wrong. And we’re here today to give Congressman Dan Webster an opportunity to get it right,” said Thompson.

The “Not My Boss’ Business” bill would ban employers from refusing to provide any health coverage — including contraceptive coverage — guaranteed to their employees and dependents under federal law, and would prohibit bosses from denying women the birth control coverage they have earned. It would also protect women by restoring the contraceptive coverage requirement guaranteed as a part of the Affordable Care Act, as well as other health services.

“The decision about whether or not to use birth control—or any form of basic health care—should be between a woman and her doctor, not a woman and her boss,” said Eskamani. “We call on Congress to act and protect women’s access to birth control, regardless of the personal views of their employer, and we’ll push for the same thing in our state legislature.