This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The debate over the contraception mandate in the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) is taking a dangerous and alarming new turn. One hundred businesses, religious entities, and nonprofits have come out of the woodwork and sued to block women from receiving the reproductive health care to which they're entitled under the law.
The entities that have filed lawsuits against the contraception mandate in the Affordable Care Act include military contractors, car dealerships, food processors and other for-profit businesses that depend on maintaining a good relationship with the public. I'm offended by their use of religion to justify discrimination against women.
That's why I'm supporting the National Organization for Women (NOW) in their "Stand Against the Dirty 100" campaign. I refuse to support companies and groups that have decided that their personal beliefs are more important than the rights of their employees.
Birth control is a vital — and common — aspect of women's reproductive health care. Ninety-nine percent of sexually active women in the United States have used birth control at some point. I do not believe that the religious beliefs of an employer trump the religious freedoms and bodily autonomy of their company's female employees.
ElizaBeth Backman
Draper