The Washington DC City Council voted on July 11 to pass a bill that requires health insurance providers to pay for contraceptives including birth control pills, diaphragms, Depo-Provers shots and Norplant implants. The bill passed without a conscience clause that would exempt employers and their insurance companies from paying for contraceptives because of religious or moral beliefs. The Washington Archdiocese lobbied heavily for the conscience clause. Although the passage of the bill in D.C. was a victory for women’s rights, anti-choice members of Congress have vowed to block it from becoming law without the conscience clause. Congress has authority because Washington D.C. remains without voting representation in Congress and statehood.
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