President Obama Contraception Mandate Speech Video, Transcript Feb. 10, 2012: Birth Control Policy Statement

By on February 10, 2012 - Comments { 2 } - in Politics

President Barack Obama official portrait

Watch President Barack Obama’s contraception mandate speech and transcript video from Fri. Feb. 10, 2012. His statement was on birth control policy and the decision requiring institutions with religious affiliation to provide coverage for birth control in their health insurance plans.

The full replay video and transcript text are posted below.



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Remarks by the President on Preventive Care

James S. Brady Press Briefing Room

12:15 P.M. EST

Q Here we go.

THE PRESIDENT: Here we go.

Q Here he is.

THE PRESIDENT: Here I am.

Q “Hello, everybody.”

THE PRESIDENT: That was pretty good.

Q I’ve been working on that.

THE PRESIDENT: Hello, everybody. (Laughter.) I was actually going to say good morning. But I guess it’s afternoon by now.

As part of the health care reform law that I signed last year, all insurance plans are required to cover preventive care at no cost. That means free check-ups, free mammograms, immunizations and other basic services. We fought for this because it saves lives and it saves money –- for families, for businesses, for government, for everybody. That’s because it’s a lot cheaper to prevent an illness than to treat one.

We also accepted a recommendation from the experts at the Institute of Medicine that when it comes to women, preventive care should include coverage of contraceptive services such as birth control. In addition to family planning, doctors often prescribe contraception as a way to reduce the risks of ovarian and other cancers, and treat a variety of different ailments. And we know that the overall cost of health care is lower when women have access to contraceptive services.

Nearly 99 percent of all women have relied on contraception at some point in their lives –- 99 percent. And yet, more than half of all women between the ages of 18 and 34 have struggled to afford it. So for all these reasons, we decided to follow the judgment of the nation’s leading medical experts and make sure that free preventive care includes access to free contraceptive care.

Whether you’re a teacher, or a small businesswoman, or a nurse, or a janitor, no woman’s health should depend on who she is or where she works or how much money she makes. Every woman should be in control of the decisions that affect her own health. Period. This basic principle is already the law in 28 states across the country.

Now, as we move to implement this rule, however, we’ve been mindful that there’s another principle at stake here –- and that’s the principle of religious liberty, an inalienable right that is enshrined in our Constitution. As a citizen and as a Christian, I cherish this right.

In fact, my first job in Chicago was working with Catholic parishes in poor neighborhoods, and my salary was funded by a grant from an arm of the Catholic Church. And I saw that local churches often did more good for a community than a government program ever could, so I know how important the work that faith-based organizations do and how much impact they can have in their communities.

I also know that some religious institutions -– particularly those affiliated with the Catholic Church -– have a religious objection to directly providing insurance that covers contraceptive services for their employees. And that’s why we originally exempted all churches from this requirement -– an exemption, by the way, that eight states didn’t already have.

And that’s why, from the very beginning of this process, I spoke directly to various Catholic officials, and I promised that before finalizing the rule as it applied to them, we would spend the next year working with institutions like Catholic hospitals and Catholic universities to find an equitable solution that protects religious liberty and ensures that every woman has access to the care that she needs.

Now, after the many genuine concerns that have been raised over the last few weeks, as well as, frankly, the more cynical desire on the part of some to make this into a political football, it became clear that spending months hammering out a solution was not going to be an option, that we needed to move this faster. So last week, I directed the Department of Health and Human Services to speed up the process that had already been envisioned. We weren’t going to spend a year doing this; we’re going to spend a week or two doing this.

Today, we’ve reached a decision on how to move forward. Under the rule, women will still have access to free preventive care that includes contraceptive services -– no matter where they work. So that core principle remains. But if a woman’s employer is a charity or a hospital that has a religious objection to providing contraceptive services as part of their health plan, the insurance company -– not the hospital, not the charity -– will be required to reach out and offer the woman contraceptive care free of charge, without co-pays and without hassles.

The result will be that religious organizations won’t have to pay for these services, and no religious institution will have to provide these services directly. Let me repeat: These employers will not have to pay for, or provide, contraceptive services. But women who work at these institutions will have access to free contraceptive services, just like other women, and they’ll no longer have to pay hundreds of dollars a year that could go towards paying the rent or buying groceries.

Now, I’ve been confident from the start that we could work out a sensible approach here, just as I promised. I understand some folks in Washington may want to treat this as another political wedge issue, but it shouldn’t be. I certainly never saw it that way. This is an issue where people of goodwill on both sides of the debate have been sorting through some very complicated questions to find a solution that works for everyone. With today’s announcement, we’ve done that. Religious liberty will be protected, and a law that requires free preventive care will not discriminate against women.

We live in a pluralistic society where we’re not going to agree on every single issue, or share every belief. That doesn’t mean that we have to choose between individual liberty and basic fairness for all Americans. We are unique among nations for having been founded upon both these principles, and our obligation as citizens is to carry them forward. I have complete faith that we can do that.

Thank you very much, everybody.
Previously….

Link for mobile device viewing. Live web-feed video is above. The video stream is also available at CNN Live and CNN for iPhone and iPad app. Find more mobile viewing options with the White House iPad and iPhone app and Android app, both are a free download. The speech will begin at 12:15 p.m. ET (9:15 a.m. PT).

The President will outline a compromise on the birth control policy which has proved controversial in recent days.. According to Politico:

The White House plans to announce a compromise designed to allay the concerns of religious organizations on a Health and Human Services rule that would require religious employers to cover birth control, a senior administration official confirmed to POLITICO.

The announcement will come as early as Friday, the official said.

White House officials have been hinting for days at finding a resolution to the fast-growing controversy over the contraception rule, which has angered the Catholic Church, energized Republicans and concerned Democrats about the political damage to President Barack Obama and their party.

Vice President Joe Biden told Cincinnati radio station WLW on Thursday that he is “determined to see that this gets worked out, and I believe we can work it out.”.

Today’s complete itinerary is here: President Obama official schedule and guidance, February 10, 2012.

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President Obama Contraception Mandate Speech Video, Transcript Feb. 10, 2012: Birth Control Policy Statement

2 Responses to President Obama Contraception Mandate Speech Video, Transcript Feb. 10, 2012: Birth Control Policy Statement

  1. Shelly February 10, 2012 at 11:51 pm #

    This is stupid. Lower taxes for the poor and middle class (singles and families),insurance for all, tax the super rich, undo all the red tap on the oil industry it creates all the jobs in America from drilling to manufacturing. You Moron, Birth control can be handled by abstinence.

  2. Jessica February 26, 2012 at 12:02 pm #

    YOU are the moron if you actually think that the answer to contraception in abstinence.

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