Berkley treads lightly in contraception vs. religious freedom debate

By Anjeanette Damon

Monday, Feb. 13, 2012 | 4:51 p.m.

RENO - U.S. Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., who faces a difficult bid for the U.S. Senate, is walking a careful line on whether religiously affiliated organizations should be required to provide female employees insurance coverage for contraception.

At a news conference here Monday, Berkley reiterated her support for a compromise proposed by the Obama administration that would give such employees access to coverage while relieving their faith-based employers of the requirement to pay for it.

Under the compromise, women could obtain special coverage directly from the insurance company rather than the employer.

“I think the compromise the president has reached is a good one,” Berkley said. “It protects basic religious freedoms, but it also provides women the opportunity to access basic preventative medical care.”

But Berkley went on to express support for a 1999 Nevada law that requires insurance plans to cover contraceptives. That law includes a blanket exemption for religiously affiliated organizations and no work-around for female employees to obtain coverage directly from the insurance company.

“The (Obama) compromise is very much what the law is in Nevada,” Berkley said. “This was already litigated in Nevada. An insurance company has to provide contraception to women. It’s been asked and answered in this state two decades ago.”

But a spokesman for the Nevada Insurance Commissioner confirmed women who work for religiously affiliated organizations in Nevada have no option to receive such coverage from companies that take advantage of the religious exemption.

Asked for clarification, Berkley’s campaign said she believes Nevada state law is similar to the Obama administration’s recent executive order in that they both allow “for religious freedom while acknowledging the need to expand access to basic women’s health services.”

Berkley’s comments came during a news conference she called to criticize her Republican opponent U.S. Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., for opposing federal funding for Planned Parenthood. She argued he wants to limit women’s access to breast cancer screening and mammography.

Heller has voted against federal funding for Planned Parenthood because it also provides abortion services, not because he wants to limit care for breast cancer.

His spokesman said Heller has a long record of supporting legislation to fund early screening programs and mobile mammography programs in underserved areas.