To Control or Not to Control: Government and Birth Control Health Care and What People Are Legally Allowed to Do with Their Bodies have created numerous controversies throughout history. A particular point of debate is the topic of birth control and government. A dangerous pair, raising the question of who should have control over contraception laws and what controls involving them should be put in place? Currently, under the Obama administration, the Affordable Care Act and “Obamacare” were created. One of the sections of this new plan creates a mandate requiring private businesses to provide insurance that covers the costs of birth control. The government should not be able to force businesses, and therefore the American people, to pay for birth control through health insurance because that violates the First Amendment and would create a financial burden on an already struggling country. The Constitution states that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…” (US Constitution, Amendment I). While forcing companies to provide birth control is not a direct violation of this part of the First Amendment, it is still a violation. Religious freedom is not limited to churches, mosques, or other religious organizations, nor is it limited to acts of worship (Rivkin and Wheland). It therefore seems appropriate that companies are able to put their beliefs about contraceptives into practice. Another piece of legislation that this violates is the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. The goal of this act was to protect against government actions that would target or burden religious activities or practices (Rivkin and Wheland). It's clear that forcing businesses to cover something that...... middle of paper ......0406555906>.Howell, Tom, Jr. "Supreme Court Will Decide Obamacare's Birth Control Mandate." The Washington Times. Washington Times, November 26, 2013. Web. January 1, 2014. .Matthews, Merrill. "The Government on Birth Control." Forbes. Forbes.com, August 4, 2011. Web. January 1, 2014. .Rivkin, David B., Jr., and Edward Whelan. “Birth Control Mandate: Unconstitutional and Illegal.” Wall Street Journal (2013): n. page Network. January 1, 2014. .Weigel, George. "The war of the mandate". National Review 21 May 2012: n. page Center for Ethics and Public Policy. Network. January 1st. 2014. .