Progressives fight Florida lawsuit against federal birth control mandate

Progress Florida, one of the state’s most active progressive groups, has started a petition denouncing the state’s recent involvement in a lawsuit against the federal government’s mandate requiring health insurers — except for religious employers — to cover contraception as a preventive service.

Progress Florida is now collecting signatures for a petition that denounces the state for using taxpayer time and money to levy yet another politically charged lawsuit against the federal government. The petition will be sent to Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi.

The petition reads:

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi has joined six other extremist attorneys general in a clearly partisan sideshow. Falsely wrapping herself in the language of “religious freedom”, Bondi is engaged in a moral crusade that’s part of her ultimate goal of undermining the new health care law. Requiring health insurance companies to cover birth control isn’t about religion, its about every woman’s right to health care.

At a time when Florida’s economy is struggling and our communities need help, Florida’s leaders shouldn’t be playing partisan games with women’s health. It’s time for all of us to stand up and say enough.

The state is already fighting the law that carries out this mandate (the Affordable Care Act) in the U.S. Supreme Court.

Religious groups have been the most vocal opponents of the mandate, and have claimed that the requirement infringes upon their religious beliefs by requiring them to provide health insurance to cover a service to which they are opposed. The birth control requirement, however, does include an exemption for religious employees. President Obama recently extended that exemption to religious organizations — including faith-based hospitals.

A poll released last week shows that six in ten Americans currently support the mandate.