Birth Control: Who Knew It Could Be So Complicated?

In a February 12^th, 2012 article published in the Texas Tribune, Holly Heinrich addresses the awkward conflict between some sizable Texas employers, and a recently passed federal mandate requiring a provision for birth control in corporate health care packages.  The source of friction lies partially with faith-based organizations, such as the Seton Network of Hospitals, which harbor ethical opposition to artificial contraception, thereby making them squeamish about paying to make it available to staff.  Heinrich goes on to report that President Obama (in an effort of appeasement) implemented an option for religiously affiliated employers to forgo the contraceptive requirement, with the caveat that third-party insurers would furnish access to birth control for employees who seek healthcare privately.  Obama’s concession has only led to further disputes, however, for while it serves as a placation for religious groups like the Catholic Health Association, it angers the members of The Texas Association of Business, who contend that (moral qualms aside) legal conditioning of healthcare leads to unnecessary cost elevation.  I found this article to be intriguing as it highlights potentially the most charged point of contention—family planning—between the orthodox and the temporal, as well as the complex ways that it can bleed into the lawmaking process.