Fact-Check: Mitt Romney Doesn't Actually Believe "Every Woman in America" Should Have Access to Birth Control
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At last night’s debate, when discussing how the candidate’s policies would affect women’s health and rights, Mitt Romney said, “I don't think bureaucrats in Washington should tell someone whether they can use contraceptives or not. And I don't believe employers should tell someone whether they have contraceptive care or not. Every woman in America should have access to contraceptives….”
REALLY? Once again, Mitt Romney is attempting to mislead voters on where he stands on women’s health issues.
Romney can claim he supports contraceptive access all he wants, but he can’t run from his record. When the Obama administration passed a groundbreaking rule to include birth control as basic preventive care with no co-pay, Romney launched a petition against this rule. He did this even after the nonpartisan Institute of Medicine recommended birth control be included.
Romney supported the Blunt amendment, which would allow any employer to deny you any aspect of health care (including birth control) if the employer morally objects to it. Sixty-seven percent of American voters opposed this measure, but when Romney was asked if he supported it, he said “…of course I support the Blunt amendment.”
Romney doesn’t just want your boss to decide whether you have access to birth control, he wants the government to decide. When asked about the landmark 1965 Supreme Court case Griswold v. Connecticut, which made state bans on contraception for married couples illegal, he said he didn’t believe it was decided correctly. Going even further, when asked whether he would support “personhood” measures — extreme and dangerous measures which could outlaw forms of birth control and even outlaw in vitro fertilization — Romney said “absolutely.”
Whether he’s letting your boss decide whether you deserve insurance coverage for birth control or he’s pledging to eliminate family planning programs like Title X, one thing is clear: Mitt Romney is wrong for women.
