On Monday, June 30, the Supreme Court ruled against American women and families — giving bosses the right to discriminate against women and deny their employees access to birth control coverage. This ruling establishes a dangerous new precedent that private, for-profit corporations can interfere with access or refuse to provide legally mandated coverage to basic preventive care for their employees, based on nothing other than the owners’ personal beliefs.

It’s unbelievable that in 2014, we’re still fighting about whether women should have access to birth control. Birth control is one of the greatest breakthroughs in public health over the last century. To the majority of Americans, birth control is not a controversial issue. That’s what we hear every day from Planned Parenthood patients and why we’ll be continuing our work to ensure that all women — no matter where they work, live or how much money they make — have access to the full range of reproductive health care, including birth control, without cost getting in the way.

We hope most businesses will do the right thing and let women make their own health care decisions. The corporations in this lawsuit hold an extreme view, and unfortunately there are some folks who want to go even further — getting rid of the birth control benefit entirely. Planned Parenthood, as well as the millions of women who stand with us across the country, is not going to let that happen. We encourage Congress to act and protect women’s access to birth control, regardless of the personal views of their employer.

KARL EASTLUND

President & CEO

Planned Parenthood of Greater Washington and North Idaho