Birth Control

In an attempt to appease religious institutions, the Obama administration has again compromised on the free birth control mandate included in the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) by allowing religious employers to opt out of contraception coverage. In the new policy announced today, faith-based nonprofits can offer coverage that doesn't include birth control, and instead use a third party to provide the contraceptives. Women with "religious employers" will now have a separate insurance policy for contraception paid for by the insurer. Also, what constitutes a religious employer has been broadened, and is no longer defined as an institution with religion in its purpose that employs and serves people with the same values. Houses of worship, such as churches or synagogues, were already exempt, but now religious nonprofits like Catholic universities are included.

The birth control coverage has been the major gripe religious organizations have had against Obamacare. They have said providing women with contraceptives goes against their beliefs, even though free birth control leads to a decrease in abortions, another hot-button issue in the religious community.

Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards said her organization is still reviewing the nitty-gritty of the new rules, but seems optimistic. She said, "This policy makes it clear that your boss does not get to decide whether you can have birth control."

The compromise is meant to show respect to religious organizations while still providing contraception to their female employees. I don't really see how using a third party keeps these companies' hands clean from birth control — since their employees are still receiving free contraception — but I guess out of sight, out mind? Even with this new exemption, I find it doubtful that religious groups will jump on the Obamacare bandwagon. But at least it means women working for religious employers will have access to free birth control. What do you make of the new compromise; do you agree with the changes?

If you didn't know who Wisconsin congressman Paul Ryan, 42, was before this Summer, you've gotten to know him a lot better since then. After Mitt Romney tapped Paul Ryan to be his running mate, details about the congressman's policy and personality have hit the media. He wants to cut the federal deficit and spending drastically and stays in top shape with a workout that, according to him, includes "P90X and Insanity." As you get to know the man who could be a heartbeat away from the vice presidency, you might wonder where he stands on a few key issues important to women. Pro-life American women will be pleased. The congressman has a 100 percent pro-life voting record rating from the National Right to Life Committee. But if you favor legal abortion rights and government support for family planning, you won't find a friend in VP pick Paul Ryan. Here is a more detailed look before he faces off with VP Joe Biden at the vice presidential debate tomorrow!

Abortion

"Personally, I believe that life begins at conception, and it is for that reason that I feel we need to protect that life as we would protect other children," Paul Ryan wrote in a 2009 op-ed. As a pro-life congressman, it's no surprise Paul Ryan has supported bills including the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act and the No Taxpayer Funding For Abortion Act.

But he's also lent his support to more controversial legislation, recently backing a bill that would require a woman seeking an abortion to receive an ultrasound from her doctor to make sure she sees the fetal image. He also supported the Protect Life Act, which would allow federally-funded hospitals to deny a woman an abortion, even if it's necessary to save her life. Congressman Ryan also cosponsored the Federal Abortion Ban, which criminalizes abortion and prescribes a two-year prison sentence for doctors in some cases, and the Sanctity of Human Life Act, which defines life as beginning at fertilization and could outlaw some birth control and IVF.

Reproductive Health Funding

Like his running mate, Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan is strongly opposed to the free-contraception mandate included in Obama's healthcare reform. Four times he has voted to defund Planned Parenthood, and his proposed budget would completely defund birth control, STD screenings, and cancer screenings for low-income women available under Title X.

Marriage and Family

Paul Ryan supports traditional marriage. In 2006, he voted yes on defining marriage as between one man and one woman in the constitution. He voted against allowing gay and lesbian couples to adopt. Ryan also opposed granting four weeks of paid parental leave for federal employees.

The Economy

The economy is center stage this election and that means with women, too. "One of the biggest threats to our country's economic growth now and in the future is our mounting debt," says Paul Ryan. It's clear that Ryan isn't afraid to take on the tough fiscal issues facing the country. Before being chosen by Mitt Romney, Ryan's biggest claim to national fame was his budget proposal, which would cut spending by over $5 trillion according to Ryan. But some experts note that Ryan's plan would cut taxes on corporations and wealthy Americans, while shifting the tax burden to the middle class. Critics say it also would cut back services less-wealthy Americans rely on, like Medicare and food stamps. On the issue of equal pay, Paul Ryan voted against the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, legislation that makes it easier for women to challenge unequal pay.

We're sure to hear more on these issues from both campaigns, maybe even tomorrow night when Paul Ryan debates Joe Biden. And after he showed his star power at the Republican National Convention, it'll be interesting to see how the Republican ticket's golden boy fares against loose cannon Biden. Who do you think will come out on top?

Here's something you might expect: providing women free contraception leads to fewer unexpected pregnancies, and thus, a lower abortion rate. But in a new study published last week, researchers were actually surprised by how much the abortion rate dropped among women who were offered access to a range of free birth control methods.

Most women in the multiyear study, completed by Washington University in St. Louis, opted for long-lasting and low-maintenance methods like the IUD implant, which many women previously couldn't afford due to a relatively high upfront cost. About 75 percent of women in the study opted for the reliable IUD, which does not require women to remember to take the pill every day. Among the women and teens enrolled in the program, the abortion rate dropped by as much as 78 percent — from the national rate of 20 abortions per 1,000 women to 4.5 to 7.5 abortions per 1,000 women in the study.

Contraception, including the IUD, is now covered for free under Obamacare, and doing so should have something in it for everyone. In addition to helping with family planning, preventing unwanted pregnancy saves insurance companies money and also reduces the abortion rate, something that could appeal to pro-life Americans. "I would think if you were against abortions, you would be 100 percent for contraception access," said Dr. James T. Breeden, president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, following the study.

Yet, you can likely recall controversy surrounding the free birth control mandate in Obamacare. Religious leaders and conservative politicians, who are also pro-life, were the most outspoken against requiring employer-funded health insurance plans to cover birth control. It would be logical to assume that they'd support free birth control, since common sense (and now a study) dictates that it has the ability to cut the rate of unexpected pregnancy, and thus abortion. But it was clear from the contraception debate, which saw Rush Limbaugh calling Georgetown student Sandra Fluke a "slut" for advocating for birth control coverage under plans provided by religiously-sponsored universities, that for some, sexual politics is not just about abortion. It's also an opportunity to shame women for having sex in the first place, promote retro gender roles, and keep Americans politically divided along "pro-choice" and "pro-life" lines.