WAR ON WIMMINS: Arizona Birth Control Bill Would Make Women Prove To Their Employers That They Are Not Using Birth Control For Birth Control

HUFFINGTON POST: After the Republican sponsor of a controversial Arizona contraception bill hijacked a Democratic news conference and called her opponents “liars” on Wednesday, heating up an already contentious battle over the legislation, her Democratic colleague has responded, saying he was appalled by her behavior. House Bill 2625, which passed the state House of Representatives and will now go before the Senate, would allow Arizona employers to refuse to cover the cost of contraception for women who plan to use it for non-medical reasons. In order to have their birth control prescriptions covered, those women would have to “submit a claim to the corporation along with evidence that the prescription is not in whole or in part for a purpose” the employer objects to — which means she would have to prove to her boss that she has endometriosis, ovarian cysts, or some other medical concern that necessitates birth control pills. The bill also allows a woman’s employer to charge her an administrative fee to process her claim. Democratic opponents of the bill called it “asinine” at the news conference, saying it would require women to provide their employers with personal, sometimes embarrassing medical information. MORE