Last week, the United States Department of Health and Human Services adopted eight new women’s services to receive mandatory coverage under private insurance policies. These services include well-woman visits, gestational diabetes screenings, domestic violence screenings, and all FDA-approved birth control methods.

But a narrow “religious refusal” clause is offered for institutions who believe the mandate violates their beliefs. If this clause is widened, it could mean thousands of women lacking access to these important wellness services.

Health and Human Services has opened a 60-day public comment period regarding the change, and conservative religious organizations are expected to loudly voice their disapproval in an attempt to widen the religious refusal clause. This clause must remain narrow, or be eliminated completely. 

Send a message to the Department of Health and Human Services right now. Let them know that religion should have no role when it comes to women’s access to much-needed medical services.

Please take a moment to participate in the comment period and voice your support for the mandatory women’s services. Copy, paste, and update the example below with your own thoughts, and then tell your friends on Facebook and Twitter. 

As a member of the American Humanist Association, I object to the religious refusal clause because ________.

The American Humanist Association is a strong advocate of women’s rights. Access to healthcare is a fundamental necessity which no woman should lose in the face of the religious refusal of their employer.

Note: All comments will be made available to the public. Do not include any personally identifiable information (such as name, address, or other contact information) or confidential business information that you do not want publicly disclosed. All comments are posted on the Internet exactly as received, and can be retrieved by most Internet search engines. No deletions, modifications, or redactions will be made to the comments received, as they are public records. Comments may be submitted anonymously.