Planned Parenthood backs new contraception policy

Planned Parenthood, which had defended the White House’s controversial birth-control mandate, said it also supports the revised policy the administration announced Friday.

The new policy does not require religious employers to build contraception coverage into their healthcare policies. But insurance companies must still provide birth control to employees who want it, and they can’t charge a co-pay for those services.

“We believe the compliance mechanism does not compromise a woman’s ability to access these critical birth control benefits,” the group said in a statement. “However we will be vigilant in holding the administration and the institutions accountable for a rigorous, fair and consistent implementation of the policy, which does not compromise the essential principles of access to care.”