'Boss Bill' prevents employer's religious beliefs from infringing on women's health care decisions [View all]

[hrmjustin]

By Tiffany Brooks

With the Women's Equality Act stalled in the Senate Labor Committee, advocates want to ensure that the reproductive health rights secured by the Affordable Care Act aren't threatened in New York.

Sen. Liz Krueger, D-Manhattan, and Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee, D-Suffern, unveiled the "Boss Bill" (S.6578-a/A.8769) on Wednesday that would ban employers who claim religious freedom as the reason for not providing health insurance access to women's reproductive health care such as birth control.

"Now is the time for New York to make clear that a boss' personal beliefs do not trump a woman's health and access to the health care they need," said Krueger. "The fact that I take a job with somebody who may not share my views about family planning and reproductive health doesn't mean they get to tell me I can't use a certain kind of contraception, I can't access certain kinds of health care or they will fire me. That's completely unacceptable but currently protected under New York state Labor Law."

The legislation was drafted following news reports of lawsuits by employers looking to deny female employees birth control coverage, including the company Hobby Lobby, which is suing the federal government claiming the Affordable Care Act birth control mandate infringes on religious freedom.

http://www.legislativegazette.com/Articles-Top-Stories-c-2014-03-10-87123.113122-Boss-Bill-prevents-employers-religious-beliefs-from-infringing-on-womens-health-care-decisions.html