Employing Economics to Protect Women’s Health
Partner: Center for Reproductive Rights
In late 2008, the Bush administration proposed a rule that would have hindered women’s ability to access reproductive health services by expanding protections for medical professionals who refuse to provide health care on moral grounds.
A close look at the proposed rule showed that the cost-benefit analysis behind it was flawed: it failed to account for negative effects on women’s health, potentially making the rule “arbitrary or capricious” under the Administrative Procedure Act. Policy Integrity partnered with a coalition of women’s health organizations including the Center for Reproductive Rights and Planned Parenthood to submit comments in opposition to the regulation.
The coalition’s comments were joined by 50 other reproductive health, legal, and human rights organizations. In February 2009, the Obama Administration agreed to rescind the regulation.
We worked closely with Policy Integrity to oppose efforts which would allow health care providers to deny reproductive health services. Policy Integrity’s advice added an economic argument to our objections that we could not have developed on our own. Working with Policy Integrity has shown us how to use cost-benefit analysis as an effective strategy in our policy work.
– Janet Crepps, Center for Reproductive Rights
Issue(s): Health and Human Services