Birth Control and Emergency Contraception In Oregon

Oregon politicians decide women should be able to receive adequate medical care:

With Gov. Ted Kulongoski's signature on a new piece of legislation, Oregon joined more than 20 other states in requiring coverage for contraceptives by employee health insurance plans. The new law, which will go into effect Jan. 1, 2008, exempts certain religious employers from the requirement. The law also requires hospitals to inform victims of sexual assault about the availability of emergency contraception and requires hospital staff to provide it upon request. “This fight is fundamentally about women being able to make the best health care decisions for themselves and their families,” Gov. Kulongosk, a Democrat, said in a statement. “With the signing of this bill into law, we continue our ongoing work to expand personal freedom and offer women full equality in our society.”

Good for Oregon, and a step in the right direction. Now, how long until politicians realize that, just because the patients are female, they have no business legislating patients' health care decisions?