The Republican presidential race appears to have shifted from debating the economy to discussing social issues – same-sex marriage, abortion and, amazingly enough, birth control. The year is 2012 and Republicans are discussing the morality of birth control. Go figure.
In the kerfuffle involving the health care law, religious-affiliated organizations and birth control, the Obama administration neatly stick handled responsibility away from the organizations and onto the insurers.
Mr. Obama announced that rather than requiring religiously affiliated charities and universities to pay for contraceptives for their employees, the cost would be shifted to health insurance companies. The initial rule caused a political uproar among some Catholics and others who portrayed it as an attack on religious freedom.
As for the Catholic Church’s concerns over birth control, I’m going with Bill Maher on this one.
” The Catholic Church was livid about this. They should not be forced to pay for something they hate and they don’t believe in. The vagina.”
And you can throw in hardcore conservatives along with the Church as people and organizations showing disdain for women’s rights. Here’s the latest from the Party of the Insane.
But Republicans and some conservative Catholic groups are not satisfied with the accommodation and hope to use their false claim of “religious persecution” to deny women access to preventive health services. Despite Obama’s decision to shield nonprofit religious institutions from offering birth control benefits, next week Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO) is expected to offer an amendment that would permit any employer or insurance plan to exclude any health service, no matter how essential, from coverage if they morally object to it:
What more can one say about these people than to note that they have found the perfect man to lead them to the promised land. Rick Santorum.
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The Republicans dig up the family values and related deceptions during every campaign season because it plays so well to the hicks and other one dimensional thinkers who support the neocons.
Well Played Mr. President. Well played.
This is what our sex lives would be like if Santorum had his way. You can find more details (including the source* of the chart here. I was really hoping that after Gingrich’s forced resignation and Santorum’s humiliating election loss, that the two of them would fade mercifully into oblivion. I shall now quote Clarence Darrow:
In the cases of these two, I shall throw a party.
*The chart is from the book Law, Sex, and Christian Society in Medieval Europe by James A. Brundage, a professor of history. I knew him; his son was a high school friend, and I later took his course in Medieval history when I went to the University of Wisconsin.
Mario,
It’s a shame we’re back to these social issues. Obviously, the Republicans can’t beat Obama on the economy; which is btw, the most important issue right now, or foreign policy so it’s back to issues like this. It may very well backfire on them though as contraception is very important to most women.
Rick Santorum is their perfect candidate and this gives him an opening. I doubt very seriously if he can beat Obama but the idea of him being president is a very scary thought as he would push his religious beliefs out on us all. I as a gay man, would be seeking political asylum in Canada.
And I bet that none of these “health service, no matter how essential, from coverage if they morally object to it”
services will affect men.
Men had better wise up. Their sex lives will be just as affected as women’s if birth control is forbidden.
And then, what is left? Women not allowed to work outside the home after marriage or child birth? Women only allowed to go to certain colleges? Or no college at all?
I think the whole issue was purposely played by Obama at this time to lure more people toward Santorum, who, in my opinion, can’t beat Obama. The dems want this issue to lead the debate, because they know it’s a loser for the repubs.
As an alternative solution, maybe the insurance companies can just lower the premium cost by the same amount as the cost of the birth control, and let people pay for it themselves if they want it. Birth control isn’t a right, it’s a choice.
I think Obama was just being inclusive to the catholic’s concerning birth control he know’s they use it so he was just reaching out, concerning every one he wasn’t leaveing anyone out. I know this whole thing is about knocking birth control in all forms out of our society.
If the republicans succeed they will treat this issue as a criminal offense, i hear them talking about Obama is imposeing more government into our lives, but yet they are imposeing their brand of religion into our lives, i’m not catholic and don’t intend on converting to them either. now the catholic’s are calling on congress to help over this issue and calling on all business’s to go against this birth control availibilty for women coverage to. what their going to get is alot of business’s going out of business, women aren’t going to stay at a job that discriminates against them. what next no cverage for our children or elderly or no coverage for cancer screening and treatment, if we have a stroke will they say we won’t cover that either, their trying to open the door to no coverage at all.
Since when does the Catholic’s go against a womens right to choose these are men playing God, pushing their morals onto people and business’s and our society, thats where the trouble begin’s their saying if by chance you feel it morally wrong then you won’t have to allow for the birth control coverage, well should everybody be exempt from everything because of religion,next will we be left to die because they don’t like blacks or latino’s and morally they can’t treat them, in the hospitals and doctors office’s. defending religion when theres something to defend but this has gotten out of hand, and the church is trying to over throw Obamas presidency. If he wants to be nasty he can bring all of them up on charges for their massive cover up’s. Look out catholic’s you might bite off more then you can chew. and we all know what that means Obamas transparency law just might bite a chuck out of you the size of rome.
Isn’t Santorum a Jew do we really want a jewish guy who discriminates against women blacks and the poor and the hispanic running this country, Who believes that Obama is wrong for wanting our american’s to get a great education and have the availibilty to go to college at an affordable rate.
So are they saying women should be barefoot and pregnant , our children should be dumb as a tac, that the catholic church should have more say over who does what in the united states are we going to turn this country into a jewish country, and catholic bishops and cardinals and preist running our live’s. I sure as heck hope not. We can choose our own religion healthcare services and our own MORAL’s we don’t need church or politic’s interfering in our lives period.
demi,
Though I’m on your side as far as the birth control goes, I think some of your comments go too far. I don’t think Jewish people have anything to do with this issue. I also think Catholics are just trying to follow their beliefs and we should respect them for that.
I think you need to just pull back a little and realize that at the end of the day, the American people will make the right choice. President Obama will get reelected because the Republican choices are really bad and anyone of those clowns wins the nomination is not going to matter Obama has proven to be a successful president, why should we kick him out of office to allow one of these yo-yos to take over?
I think we can have a decent discussion about this without dissing certain groups of people. We are progressives after all and we don’t have to be like the other side and say discriminating things about Catholics or Jews, many of them will be voting for Obama in November.
I wonder how people would feel about this if the Catholic church, like the Jehovah’s Witlesses, had a religious objection to blood transfusion and was pressuring the government to exempt its hospitals from performing the procedure or its secular employees from having it covered.
Thanks for the feed back but i really don’t think i said anything very deep about this issue i just feel like things are getting out of control with this issue, i am saying what so many others have said but just not as nasty or mean spirited. I don’t have a problem with the jewish people or even catholic’s, i just don’t believe that they should have any special treatment because of their race or their faith, we all respect everybody i am a women i have had many issue’s with my body where as i needed birth control to help me get through it. I have had some surgerys now i don’t need any birth control but i do want them availble for my daughters and other teens and women who may want or need them in the future. This birth control method is nothing new and it is accepted in our society by just about everybody.
I think our president should be respected for his efforts in trying to help all of us, those who oppose him make him out to be a monster when he’s not. They say he’s attacking religion how i ask, mandates there are thousands of mandates like Ron Paul said theres always been mandates. The republicans are playing this thing for all it’s worth , but to promise to undo it to call the president all kinds of names and swear to put a stop to this is insane and disrespectful. our government should not be run like it is, the american people aren’t going to stop this how can they? wishing that something was done right, hopeing the american people will do the right thing come november is a real big stretch, they thought they did the right thing last year look at how that turned out, re-districting and trying to change the electoral college is not really going to make things go in President Obamas favor. regardless of how we vote if a quater of us are even allowed to vote. the popular vote is great but it’s the electoral college that detrimes who win’s and from what i’ve heard the republicans are trying to switch it over to 2 senators from each state that will do the decideing, and majority of the states are ran by republicans so the american people may want to do the right thing in essence but i am afraid that i don’t feel the same security in that as you do.Yes President Obama is good for this country but reading in the papers and on the web and watching them talk on the news you’d think this man was from another planet attacking us from every angle. I fear for this president everyday because of so many lie’s put against him so many people angry because of the lie’s, this pretend attack on religion is not a good thing , Congress hypeing it up taking up votes against it very soon spreading remarks about Obama and vowing to get government out of our lives doesn’t make me feel easy. when they to are the government that are intruding in our lives and fighting against a womens right to choose her own birth control method. it makes me scared for Mr.Obama and for this country, a religious battle is not something any of us want. I don’t think those in government should be treating the president this way or women or the middleclass or the poor, but they want us to vote for them and believe that they are our only hope in restoreing this great nation. Thats just to risky to me, why do they have so much hate and disdain for this presidency and us.
Yes we should all be better then those who attack us and who attack our morals and values and virtues to, but it’s getting harder to do that , because of the lack of respect for us that those in congress and in the running have for us. I don’t mean to offend the Catholic’s or the Jewish, i am sorry if any of you think i did, i will be the bigger person and say i am sorry if i disrespected you. Lastly i will say we must all learn how to compromise on issue’s we disagree with it doesn’t have to be a showdown or a deadly battle it just has to be a discussion and a compromise, Mr.Obama has extended the olive branch please take it and lets all move on to more important issue’s.
demi,
I share your feeling about everything you’ve talked about here. I do think you need not fear; even if Republicans would like to rob us of our democratic process, it’s not going to happen.
I also fear for Barack Obama’s safety because I know the level of hate that’s out there concerning him. But, as a Christian, I pray for him and know that God will keep his hand on him.
I am not a Catholic or a Jew but I also know how easy it is to blame one group or the other. The truth is, I believe we can accommodate Catholics and other religions when it comes to their religious freedom and at the same time, protect women’s rights.
Even if there are many among us that are filled with hate and ignorance, there are many more of us who’re intelligent and enlightened. This is not a third world country that the people can be easily led down a road where they will give up their rights because of certain people’s prejudice and ignorance. We will not bend to conservative’s desire to control the masses with religious edicts forced upon us by religious zealots who would believe that they”re divinely led to change our laws to represent their own beliefs.
We are Americans and we will stand together in freedom. And even though I believe that God will protect our president from the hand of asassination, let us not forget that in times past when great leaders of the People, such as Martin Luther King and John F Kennedy has been taken from us by a violent end, their message only grew stronger because of it. Let’s hope those who would consider such extreme measures will realize that before they make that mistake.
In the mean time, trust God and don’t worry about those who claim the mantle of Christ but yet spew forth hate; as no weapon formed against us will stand.