Political Quotes

“last night the Treasury-Postal conference settled virtually everything except the controversy over contraceptives in this body. Normally, such controversies concern differences between the House and the Senate. There are no differences between the House and the Senate on the matter of allowing Federal employees options for contraception. This matter was won in the House; it was won in the Senate. There is an attempt to undemocratically overturn the will of this House and the will of the Senate in conference. Both the House and the Senate understood that this no-cost health necessity for women is elementary. Yet a group of men, largely of men, in this body is trying to reverse what the majority of two houses have done. What have we done? We simply require that health plans cover contraception as they do other prescriptions. Most of what men need in prescriptions are covered, yet many health plans do not cover contraception. This is essential for the health of American women, in this case Federal employees, because of vast differences in contraceptives. We all know, for example, of the pill. And there are some people who cannot take the pill. Some kinds of contraception do not work for some people. Some have serious side effects. Some are uncomfortable. Some have long-term effects and people do not wish to take the risk. Federal employees do not have the options necessary for their health today.”