The Catholic War on Women

The Catholic War on Women

As we near the 2012 presidential election, continued economic progress means that we are almost certain to see Republicans push wedge issues (e.g., gay marriage, abortion, and President Obama’s so-called war on religion). They had been planning to run on the economy, but if the economy appears to be moving in the right direction, they have nothing else but their wedge issues. So let’s take a look at this war on religion Obama is allegedly waging.

As part of reforming health care, the Obama administration is seeking to provide all women with access to affordable contraception. By removing the cost barrier, women would be more free than ever before to choose for themselves whether they will use contraception.

Who could possibly have a problem with that? As it turns out, the Catholic Church is upset about this. You see, even though an overwhelming majority of Catholics in the U.S. use contraception, the Church still adheres to the Vatican position that birth control is essentially equivalent to abortion. And Republicans desperate for a wedge issue have taken up this cause to argue that Obama is waging war on religion.

The Obama administration hopes to provide access to contraception by requiring employers to select health care plans that include contraceptive coverage, which most already do. The Catholic Church and many Republicans are up in arms about this because they claim that it requires employers to violate their conscience by providing health services with which they do not agree. It does not seem to matter what sort of exemptions the administration offers because Republicans think they have an effective wedge issue with which to attract moronic voters.

I applaud the administration’s plan to provide women with access to affordable contraception. This is about improving health care. If only the Catholic bishops would spend as much time working on the prevention of child rape as they do opposing contraception, they might be able to make a real difference.

Related articles

• The Catholic War on Women (atheistrev.com)
• Obama Finesses Furious Catholic Bishops On Contraception Issue (crooksandliars.com)
• Will the GOP win the birth control fight? (politico.com)
• Contraception Fight: Religious Freedom or Religious Domination? (fidlerten.com)
• Obama forges compromise birth control plan – Hindustan Times (hindustantimes.com)
• Obama: Revamped Birth Control Policy Meets Everyone’s Needs (baltimore.cbslocal.com)
• Poll: Catholics Largely Support Obama’s Contraceptive Policy Compromise (themoderatevoice.com)
• Barack Obama, Catholics and contraceptives: The accommodation | The Economist (policyabcs.wordpress.com)
• Obama Fumbles on Contraception (thedailybeast.com)
• From our inbox – John Tener sounds off on Women’s health, privacy rights, and equal protection under law. Thanks John! (newomenforchange.org)
• Obama administration needs to stand with women, not Catholic bishops, on health care (dailykos.com)