Missouri senator pushes for religious exception for distributing birth control

Tuesday, February 14, 2012 | 7:31 a.m. CST; updated 9:22 a.m. CST, Tuesday, February 14, 2012
BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

JEFFERSON CITY — A debate is starting to build at the Missouri Capitol about birth control.

A Senate committee scheduled a hearing Tuesday on legislation allowing employers to refuse to provide insurance coverage for birth control, abortions or sterilization procedures, if doing so would go against the employer's religious beliefs.

Sponsoring Sen. John Lamping, a St. Louis County Republican, said health insurance is a benefit and that employers should decide how it is structured.

Representatives from Planned Parenthood of Missouri spoke out against the Senate bill Monday, as did several Democratic lawmakers. They said the Senate proposal would essentially allow employers to deny their employees necessary medical care, even if the employees don't share their religious beliefs.

 

Show Me the Errors (What's this?)

Report corrections or additions here. Leave comments below here.

You must be logged in to participate in the Show Me the Errors contest.

Comments

Leave a comment

Speak up and join the conversation! Make sure to follow the guidelines outlined below and register with our site. You must be logged in to comment. (Our full comment policy is here.)

  • Don't use obscene, profane or vulgar language.
  • Don't use language that makes personal attacks on fellow commenters or discriminates based on race, religion, gender or ethnicity.
  • Use your real first and last name when registering on the website. It will be published with every comment. (Read why we ask for that here.)
  • Don’t solicit or promote businesses.

We are not able to monitor every comment that comes through. If you see something objectionable, please click the "Report comment" link.

You must be logged in to comment.

Forget your password?

Don't have an account? Register here.

The Quad
advertisements