[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 112 (Thursday, July 17, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1186-E1187]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 HOUSE'S FAILURE TO CONSIDER HR 5051: THE PROTECT WOMEN'S HEALTH FROM 
         CORPORATE INTERFERENCE ACT (NOT MY BOSS' BUSINESS ACT)

                                  _____
                                 

                     HON. LOUISE McINTOSH SLAUGHTER

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 17, 2014

  Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, if anyone had told me that at the 
beginning of my career that I would fight 40 years for the right for 
contraception, I would never have believed it. We thought Griswold v. 
Connecticut had settled this, but no. It's been a constant war to 
control women, which is exactly what this is about.
  Now, this audacious Supreme Court, which never fails to surprise, 
decided that bosses can tell you what kind of healthcare you can have 
and whether or not you can practice contraception. More specifically, 
the 5 men on this court decided whether women can have equal access to 
contraception.

[[Page E1187]]

  And let's not forget, for male employees of these firms, their wives 
and daughters who are on their healthcare coverage will also be 
discriminated against and treated differently.
  The stupidity of this Supreme Court decision is that it completely 
overlooks the fact that 58 percent of the women who get prescription 
oral contraceptives do it not just for birth control, but for another 
medical reason, such as endometriosis, ovarian cysts, or Polycystic 
Ovary Syndrome. Even those women will be out of luck, which means they 
don't have the same rights as all those men who buy Viagra. That's 
still covered.
  The most dangerous thing that has happened here is that this court 
has set a precedent for the nearly 48 cases currently working their way 
through the courts filed by for-profit companies about contraception 
coverage. Those 48 cases now have this decision as legal precedent.
  It is not beyond the realm of possibility that the idea of blood 
transfusions, vaccinations, and treatment for HIV/AIDS would no longer 
be covered. With this court, we are pedaling backward to the 19th 
century but I've got news for the five men on the court behind this 
decision: the women of America don't want to go! And this bill helps 
ensure that we don't.
  H.R. 5051, The Protect Women's Health from Corporate Interference 
Act--also called the ``Not My Boss's Business Act''--would ensure that 
an employer that provides a group health plan for its employees does 
not deny coverage of a specific health care item or service to its 
employees or covered dependents of employees where that coverage is 
mandated by Federal law.
  The bill specifically states the Religious Freedom Restoration Act 
does not excuse or relieve this duty, and allows for the existing 
exemption for houses of worship and accommodation for religious non-
profit organizations that do not wish to provide coverage of 
contraceptives.
  The women of this country don't want a court or anyone else to 
determine that they are second-class citizens, and this bill would put 
an end to that. And what we need is a vote. We're all here today to 
call on Speaker Boehner to bring this to the floor. Wouldn't that be 
something?
  Mr. Speaker, the House has been given two opportunities to defeat the 
previous question: once on Tuesday, and another today. Both times, we 
offered an amendment to the rule that would have given Members an 
opportunity to consider reversing the damage done by the recent Hobby 
Lobby Supreme Court decision. Both times, the House has rejected this 
measure.
  No employer should have the right to limit the health choices of its 
employees--male or female. It is pure discrimination, when 99 percent 
of women in this country have used some form of birth control during 
their lifetime--but now have to literally go to unreasonable measures 
to simply secure the fundamental health care they need.

                          ____________________