EEOC Informal Discussion Letter

EEOC Office of Legal Counsel staff members wrote the following informal discussion letter in response to an inquiry from a member of the public. This letter is intended to provide an informal discussion of the noted issue and does not constitute an official opinion of the Commission.

Title VII: Contraception

April 6, 2001

Dear:

This is in response to your letter dated January 31, 2001, concerning the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's (EEOC or Commission) recent decision on the coverage of contraceptives. As we understand your letter, you have religious objections to the requirement that employers provide the same insurance coverage for prescription contraceptives as they provide for other drugs, devices, or services that are used to prevent the occurrence of medical conditions other than pregnancy.

The Commission has not addressed the specific issue of religious objections to health insurance coverage. The employers in the Commission Decision did not assert potential religious discrimination against any of their employees to justify their exclusion of contraceptives from their health insurance coverage. For additional information, the Commission Decision and Questions and answers are located on the EEOC's website at www.eeoc.gov. The EEOC's Guidelines on Discrimination Because of Religion, 29 C.F.R. § 1605.2(b)(1), and Fact Sheet on Religious Discrimination are also located on our website.

We hope that this information is helpful to you. Please note, however, that this letter does not constitute an opinion or interpretation of the Commission within the meaning of § 713(b) of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, 42 U.S.C. 2000e-12(b).

Sincerely,

Dianna B. Johnston
Assistant Legal Counsel

This page was last modified on April 27, 2007.