Kermit Miller
Kermit Miller is the evening news anchor and state legislature reporter.
Read more: Local, Politics, Health, Community, Consumer, Religion, News, Birth Control, MO Capitol, Legislation, Legislative Session, Insurance Coverage, John Lamping, Missouri Planned Parenthood, Bishop John Gaydos
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The Missouri Senate has wasted no time with a formal response to the White House controversy over birth control.
A Senate Committee endorsed a legislation on Tuesday to allow employers to refuse to provide insurance coverage for birth control, abortions or sterilization procedures.
St. Louis County Republican John Lamping says health insurance is a work benefit, and employers should have control over how it is structured.
“(Senate Bill) 749 is our response in the state of Missouri,” Lamping said. “It's our effort to, essentiallyl, put back the conscience clause at the state level.”
Under fire, President Obama on Friday abruptly abandoned his stand that religious organizations must pay for birth control for workers. He instead demanded that insurance companies step in to provide the coverage without additional co-pay obligations.
It is absolutely vital that women, no matter where they work, have access to the same health care coverage,” White House spokesman Jay Carney said.
“This really is just about a full frontal assault on religious liberty, the likes of which I haven't seen in my lifetime,” St. Charles Republican Senator Scott Rupp said.
Church organizations in Missouri support Lamping's legislation, which exempts from the insurance mandate any employer with a moral objection, not just church-affiliated employers.
“Catholic Bishops are gratified by the strong solidarity shown by so many churches during the recent threat to religious liberty,” Bishop John Gaydos said.
Planned Parenthood says the Lamping proposal would allow employers to deny their employees necessary medical care, even if the employees don't share their religious beliefs.
“The issue here is insurance coverage of birth control, not the provision of birth control,” said Michelle Trupiano of Planned Parenthood of Missouri. “Nothing in this new benefit requires an organization to dispense birth control or force and individual to take it. So, just because there is this mandate, it doesn't mean anyone needs to violate their faith and take birth control.”
The Lamping proposal will now go to the full Senate for debate.
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