Yesterday we received the stunning news that Governor Walker has decided that the Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC) will no longer enforce our state contraceptive mandate, which ensures that employers provide contraceptive coverage to their employees. The Walker administration is using the Supreme Court’s recent Hobby Lobby ruling to justify their choice. But don’t be fooled: our contraceptive mandate was not impacted by Burwell v. Hobby Lobby and there is no reason to stop enforcing the state law.
Governor Walker’s conduct, while not surprising, is outrageous. Either he has intentionally chosen (yet again) to hack away at Wisconsin women’s access to contraceptives or he and his administration are incompetent. He must be held accountable.
Here’s what you can do to help:
- Share this message with your friends and family. Every woman in the state needs to know what our Governor is up to.
- Write a letter to the editor of your local paper decrying the Governor’s actions. So far, this story has received minimal news coverage. But this news must be on everyone’s radar – especially with the election just over 100 days away.
- Contact Governor Walker’s office and demand that his administration continue enforcing the contraceptive mandate. He cannot arbitrarily decide to stop enforcing state laws – especially laws that protect birth control access, which so many women depend on.
Call: (608) 266-1212
Email: govgeneral@wisconsin.gov - Contact the Office of the Insurance Commissioner and demand that Ted Nickel continue enforcing the contraceptive mandate.
Call: (800) 236-8517
Email: Nickel@wi.gov - Learn more. Check out this brilliant memo from the National Women’s Law Center that explains just how out of line Governor Walker is on this one.
It’s only been a few weeks since our wildly successful Hobby Lobby protest in Monona. Any elected official who thinks that contraceptive coverage doesn’t matter to the people of Wisconsin is in for a big surprise.