NY Supr. Ct.: Religious groups must give health coverage for contraception

[MonteSano]

Religious human services providers must include birth control coverage in their employees' health insurance plans even if the organizations consider contraception a sin, the state's highest court ruled Thursday.

The Court of Appeals voted 6-0 to uphold the constitutionality of the 2003 Women's Health and Wellness Act and Associate Judge Robert S. Smith's 18-page decision drew widely divergent reactions.

Advocates for women's reproductive rights and civil libertarians called the court's vote a great day for gender equality in New York. Some faith-based groups were disappointed. Several legal experts used terms like dreadful, shameful and dangerous.

Catholic Charities of Albany and nine other organizations sought in September oral arguments to force the state Insurance Department to allow them an exemption from the law, like it does for organizations with faith-based beliefs, like seminaries.


http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=527248&category=STATE&BCCode=&newsdate=10/20/2006

[NMMNG]

1. It's about time

I wonder if this will spread to other states. I know somebody who works for Catholic Charities in my state and couldn't get her BC pills (which she took for regulation of her cycle) paid for by her insurance due to their silly rules.

[Freedom_from_Chains]

2. Just another example of activist judges imposing their

immoral will on the rest of us. (For the sarcasm impaired) :sarcasm:

[NMMNG]

4. Kind of like the activist president imposing his will on the rest of us?

:P

[Ken Burch]

3. Of course, the Scalito gang which overturn this...

nt.