Should birth control be free?

Under health-care reform law, women could get the morning-after pill free of charge  — if the government decides it qualifies as preventive medical care

As recently as the 1990s many health insurance plans did not cover birth control. Today, almost all plans, including Medicaid, cover prescription contraceptives.
(Image credit: CC BY: Nate Grigg)
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In a potential "birth control revolution," American women may gain free access to the morning-after pill under President Obama's health-care reform law. The catch: First the administration must decide whether contraception qualifies as preventive care. Public health officials say there's no question that family planning saves lives, but social conservatives says contraception shouldn't be covered. Commentators weigh in on the debate:

Of course, birth control should be covered: "It's crystal clear that family planning improves the health of women and the children they bear," say the editors of the San Jose Mercury News. You would think that social conservatives who oppose abortion would support this idea: After all, "There's no more effective way to prevent [abortion] than making birth control readily available."

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