On July 7, 2003 Governor Blagojevich signed into law HB 211.  This law requires that health insurance policies, group and individual, must provide coverage for contraceptive outpatient services and prescription drugs and devices.[1]  The law goes into affect January 1, 2004.

Many contraceptive drugs and devices, including the pill and IUD, act as abortifacients if or when they do not prevent fertilization.[2]  This means the termination of life within the mother’s womb – fetal death.[3]  In addition there are potential health risks associated with a woman’s use of contraceptives including possible future fertility problems and an increased chance of developing breast cancer.[4]

The means by which insurance companies will likely fund this mandated coverage will be to increase health insurance premiums.   It is important that those of us who are Pro-Life, or who have a religious stance against the use of artificial birth-control take steps to remove ourselves from the effects of this mandate.  It is a violation of our conscience and our religious freedom to be forced to contribute monetarily to the use of abortifacients.

Fortunately the Illinois Health Care Right of Conscience Act should protect us if we, as a people concerned for life and our moral convictions, act to invoke it.  This law states that:

“…It is public policy of the State of Illinois to respect and protect the right of conscience of all persons who refuse to obtain, receive or accept, or who are engaged in, the delivery of, arrangement for, or payment of health care services and medical care whether acting individually, corporately, or in association with other persons; and to prohibit all forms of discrimination, disqualification, coercion, disability or imposition of liability upon such persons or entities by reason of their refusing to act contrary to their conscience or conscientious convictions in refusing to obtain, receive, accept, deliver, pay for, or arrange for the payment of health care services and medical care.”[5]

We should let our insurance companies know now that we plan to invoke the Conscience Act before the contraceptive mandate goes into affect.  This will let the insurance companies know that there will continue to be a market for health insurance plans without contraceptive coverage and that the law of Illinois provides that we should still have such an option.

William and Nancy Bence

Effingham, Illinois

IRLC Home Page