Lawmakers in the Bay State passed a bill forcing all employers to pay for contraception regardless of any religious or moral objections. The bill was signed by Charlie Baker, one of the few pro-abortion Republican governors in the U.S.
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker on Monday signed a bill that would mandate all employers cover birth control regardless of religious or moral objections, pushing back at rules that were activated at the federal level.
Baker, a Republican, said on Twitter Monday that his signing of the bill, which was passed along bipartisan lines in the legislature, would ensure “critical access to important contraceptive coverage.” The law goes into effect immediately, but insurers have six months to implement changes.
The law in Massachusetts would run counter to federal regulations issued in October, in which the Trump administration rolled back an Obama-era rule that required employers to opt out of birth control coverage each year if they have religious objections. Preventive care for women is required under Obamacare, but the administration, through the Department of Health and Human Services, has discretion about what falls into that category.
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