WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall expressed his disappointment after Republicans blocked debate on a bill to restore women's access to contraceptive health care in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's 5-4 split decision in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby. The court ruled that closely held corporations may deny coverage for certain forms of birth control if members of the board object on religious grounds. The filibuster of the Not My Boss's Business Act , which Udall cosponsored, prevented the Senate from considering a measure to restore the contraceptive coverage requirement and other services guaranteed by the Affordable Care Act , and to prevent corporate employers from imposing their personal ideological beliefs on their employees by denying legally required health coverage. Udall issued the following statement:
"Today we had a critical opportunity to restore women's access to contraceptive health care, and to affirm that women's personal health decisions ought to be between a woman and her doctor -- without her employer's interference. Yet Republicans chose to protect corporate interests over women's rights to insurance coverage for legally guaranteed health care services.
"The Supreme Court's decision in the Burwell v. Hobby Lobby case set dangerous precedents by once again deciding that a corporation has personal rights, and by ruling that an employer has the right to insert himself into a woman's private decisions about her health care. New Mexicans know that a corporate CEO has no place dictating what health and family planning choices are best for a woman and her family. The Not My Boss's Business Act deserves debate -- it's an opportunity to reverse the misguided Supreme Court decision and stand up for the rights of women and families. This issue isn't over -- I will continue to fight to ensure women in New Mexico and across the country can access the important health care and preventive services guaranteed to them by federal law."
