White House endorses Dems’ birth control access bill

The White House threw its weight behind a Democratic bill to ensure that women employed by for-profit companies have comprehensive birth control coverage regardless of their employers’ objections.

In a Statement of Administration Policy, the White House urged passage of the legislation in the Senate, where a vote will take place on Wednesday.

{mosads}”The administration believes that women should make personal healthcare decisions for themselves, rather than their employers deciding for them,” the statement read. “This legislation would restore that right.”

The bill from Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Mark Udall (D-Colo.) would reverse the Supreme Court’s recent Hobby Lobby decision by preventing for-profit companies from opting out of federal healthcare coverage rules on religious grounds.

Democrats are using the measure, which has no chance of passage in the House, to rally women voters before November. It is expected to fail on the Senate floor, lacking the 60 votes necessary to advance.