U.S. court rules Union Pacific must cover contraception

A federal judge ruled that Union Pacific must provide prescription contraceptive benefits to its unions’ women employees, health advocates said on Monday.

A U.S. District Court of Nebraska judge ruled in favor of current and former Union Pacific employees, who had demanded the company include prescription contraception coverage as part of its health plans for unionized workers.

The company’s refusal to provide the coverage violated the plaintiffs’ civil rights, U.S. District Judge Laurie Smith Camp ruled on Friday.

A spokesman for North America’s largest railroad did not have any immediate comment.

The court will determine whether to hold a hearing on injunctive relief and damages in the case.

“We are pleased with the court ruling, which means that Union Pacific, one of the last big employers in the country that had refused to cover contraception, must now include this essential health care in all of its worker health plans,” Roberta Riley, a staff attorney for Planned Parenthood of Western Washington said in a statement. 

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