White House: Congress Must Counter SCOTUS Birth Control Ruling

White House press secretary Josh Earnest pauses during the daily briefing in the Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, June 25, 2014. House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio said Wednesday... White House press secretary Josh Earnest pauses during the daily briefing in the Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, June 25, 2014. House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio said Wednesday the Republican-controlled House will file an election-year lawsuit accusing President Barack Obama of failing to carry out the laws passed by Congress. In response, Earnest accused congressional Republicans of obstruction and said they had left Obama with little option but to make greater use of his executive authority. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) MORE LESS
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The White House on Monday afternoon called on Congress to “take action to solve [the] problem” created by the Supreme Court in its ruling that closely held corporations cannot be forced to comply with the contraception mandate under Obamacare.

“Today’s decision jeopardizes the health of women that are employed by these companies,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters. He added: “We believe that a company should not be able to assert their views to deny employees federally mandated coverage.”

Earnest emphasized that President Barack Obama “believes strongly” in religious freedom and has created accommodations for religious institutions (such as houses of worship and nonprofits). He said the White House will explore its options after it processes the ruling.

“President Obama has said that [women] should be able to make decisions for themselves rather than their bosses deciding for them,” he said. “As millions of women know, contraception is often vital to their well-being. We will work with Congress to make sure that any women affected by this decision will still have the same coverage and vital health services as everyone else.”

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