By Josh Nathan-Kazis October 9, 2017

The Orthodox Union on Monday endorsed the Trump administration’s rollback of a rule requiring employers to include coverage for birth control in the health plans they offer their employees.

“The new regulations are good news for all Americans,” said Mark Bane, president of the O.U. board. “Religious freedom is a fundamental right for all, so when it is threatened for some, it is threatened for all.”

The rule gave 55 million women to access to birth control without paying additional costs, the New York Times reported. The rollback will allow employers to decline to provide coverage for birth control.

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The leading umbrella group for Modern Orthodox synagogues, the O.U. is currently facing possible schism over women’s leadership roles. Women have only served on the O.U. executive committee since 2014.

“The Trump Administration’s decision to expand the conscience exemptions in the Affordable Care Act is consistent with the long-standing American tradition of trying to avoid infringements upon religion as much as possible,” said the group’s executive director for public policy, Nathan Diament. “The Obama Administration’s refusal to utilize other methods to ensure women’s access to certain healthcare services ignored this sensible approach and stoked unnecessary controversy. The new guidance is a return to the proper balance of valuable concerns.”

Contact Josh Nathan-Kazis at nathankazis@forward.com or on Twitter, @joshnathankazis.

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