Bunch of Dudes on Supreme Court Decide Birth Control Shouldn’t Be Free; Would Rather Pay Child Support Instead

The Supreme Court really shouldn’t be making decisions about women’s healthcare since six of its nine justices are men. But here we are. Last week, the Supreme Court voted 7-2 to basically pave the way for employers to deny employees birth control coverage on religious or moral grounds.

A bit of background: the Affordable Care Act mandates that employer-provided insurance policies pay for birth control. This means if you get health insurance through work, you can get contraceptive pills for free. No matter where you stand on abortion, most of us would agree that providing free birth control is a good policy. It prevents unwanted babies from being conceived in the first place. Fewer unwanted pregnancies means fewer abortions. Win-win, right?

Not according to the Supreme Court. The highest law of the land thinks that your employer should get veto power on birth control pills. All they have to do is claim religious or moral objections. In other words, your girlfriend’s Bible-thumping boss could let her get stuck with a massive bill just for trying to stay child-free. (Never mind that many women take birth control pills for reasons unrelated to pregnancy prevention, like to treat acne, endometriosis, and polycystic ovary syndrome.)

You’d think these dudes would be all for birth control. After all, if a woman can’t afford the pill, she probably won’t take it, increasing the chance of pregnancy. Pregnancy equals baby. And you know who predominantly gets sidled with child support? Men.

The exemption would result in anywhere from 70,500 to 126,400 women of childbearing age losing contraception coverage. That’s a lot of potential babies. And millions of dollars in child support.

But OK, guys. Just make sure your mistresses are pro-choice because pulling out is not an effective form of contraception.

Cover Photo: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / Contributor (Getty Images)

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