A rule that protects women and respects faith

As both a committed Catholic and a strong advocate of women’s health, I want to applaud the recently released guidelines for preventive health coverage under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. These guidelines, which increase access to contraceptive services for women while upholding the religious liberty of churches, mosques and synagogues, strike the proper balance between respecting the religious beliefs of all Americans and protecting the health of American women and families. They will reduce health costs, end long-standing gender discrimination in prescription drug coverage and further enable women to lead healthier lives.

For the overwhelming majority of Americans, access to federally approved contraception without cost-sharing — which will go into effect in all new health insurance plans starting in August — is a common-sense reform that is long overdue. A majority of voters — and an even higher majority of Catholic female voters — support health-plan coverage of contraception with no additional cost. That is because contraception is one of the most common health-care services used by women in the United States. Ninety-eight percent of sexually active women, including Catholic women, will use it at some point in their lives.