Women should make own health care decisions

The U.S. Supreme Court turned back the clock on health care access this week when it put the rights of for-profit companies and strangers above those of women. Thanks to the court, more than 90 percent of businesses may use their religious beliefs to deny female employees insurance with full contraceptive coverage.

That decision followed a ruling against a buffer zone law that allowed people to walk into health care facilities without a fuss. Now protesters can follow patients and invade their privacy with intimidating and inaccurate comments.

The Supreme Court majority got it wrong. No one - not a boss and not a stranger on the street - should prevent a woman from exercising her constitutional right to make a private medical decision. The decision to use birth control is an individual one. Prescriptions are written for a host of conditions, from acne to endometriosis. Care should be based on the patient's religious beliefs and what is best for her health and family.

Instead, the court empowered bosses to use their religious beliefs to deny coverage to ordinary workers struggling to make ends meet. Whether you love or hate our insurance system, it only works if Americans can access comprehensive plans and medical providers. We need full coverage, and we need to get in the door.

In Illinois, Chicago has adopted a "bubble zone" ordinance that protects people entering any medical facility. Protesters can come within 8 feet of a patient and ask for permission to talk. This balances freedoms of speech and privacy.

We need to move this country forward, not backward. Nearly 27 million women are eligible for birth control coverage already. Most women will use birth control at some point in their lifetime. The Supreme Court is out of touch, but Illinois leaders should not lose focus. I stand with women, not in the way of their health care decisions.

Sheila Simon

Lieutenant governor