Senate Dems urge White House not to roll back free birth control rule

Senate Democrats are warning the Trump administration not to roll back ObamaCare rules requiring free birth control for women. 

A Thursday letter, led by Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), points to a forthcoming regulation currently under review at the White House that could change the ObamaCare requirements. 

Under ObamaCare, regulations currently require contraception to be offered at no cost to the patient, but the rules have drawn objections on religious grounds. 

{mosads}The possible administration action comes after President Trump signed an executive order this month calling for review of the rules. 

“Access to affordable preventive services including contraception is a critical part of women’s health care, as well as an economic priority for many women,” wrote Murray, the top Democrat on the Senate Health Committee, along with 13 other Democratic senators. “It should be treated as such.” 

“We urge you to abandon any proposal that would erode access to affordable preventive healthcare for women, including birth control,” they added. 

The ObamaCare requirements have been at the center of a range of lawsuits from religious organizations that object to the mandate. Much of the litigation has focused on which organizations should be exempt from the rules. In the 2014 Hobby Lobby case, for example, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of an exemption for closely held for-profit corporations.