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SunsetDreams

(8,571 posts) Mon Feb 6, 2012, 11:30 PM Feb 2012

Putting The Growing Birth Control Firestorm In Perspective

The Obama administration’s requirement that health insurance plans cover birth control has provoked a full-blown Republican firestorm over religious liberty. But the policy itself carves out an exemption for churches and doesn’t require any individual or employer to violate a religious belief — it simply ensures that their employees with different beliefs have the same access to birth control as all other women.

The background: The Affordable Care Act provides that insurance companies cover certain preventive health services without copays. Last August, the Department of Health and Human Services drew upon recommendations from the Institute of Medicine and decided that birth control be part of that package. It said employer-based health care plans must cover contraceptive services without copays. The move received limited attention at the time.

The issue blew up after HHS finalized the regulation on January 20, which goes into effect on August 1, 2012. Under the conscience clause, it exempts churches and other houses of worship that primarily employ people who share the institution’s view. The mandate applies to religious nonprofits such as universities and hospitals, which employ and serve people of different beliefs, but it gives them an extra one-year transition period to begin complying with the law.

The regulation is only for insurance carriers, not health providers. For instance, Catholic hospitals with religious objections to birth control do not have to provide it to their patients. They simply cannot deny their employees the same access, should they want it, as other employers are required to provide. Most insurance plans already cover birth control but many include copays that can be a deterrent.

More here: http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/02/putting-the-growing-birth-control-firestorm-in-perspective.php?ref=fpb

6 replies

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Highlight:

Putting The Growing Birth Control Firestorm In Perspective (Original Post) SunsetDreams Feb 2012 OP

abortion is about the only issue the repubs have to score with rurallib Feb 2012 #1

This is where the arguement should change... EC Feb 2012 #2

Why do we keep on ceding ground on this issue when 99% of women have used birth control ShadowLiberal Feb 2012 #3

One could also ask where one draws the line? Liberal Veteran Feb 2012 #4

Actually, a better question to ask the is "when sufrommich Feb 2012 #6

kick SunsetDreams Feb 2012 #5

rurallib

(62,416 posts)

1. abortion is about the only issue the repubs have to score with

Reply to SunsetDreams (Original post)

Mon Feb 6, 2012, 11:34 PM

Feb 2012

so any lie, any bullshit will be exploited.

EC

(12,287 posts)

2. This is where the arguement should change...

Reply to SunsetDreams (Original post)

Mon Feb 6, 2012, 11:36 PM

Feb 2012

" it simply ensures that their employees with different beliefs have the same access to birth control as all other women. "

That's not the way it should be framed. It should be that it simply ensures that their employees of all beliefs have the same access to INSURANCE POLICIES that include the same birth control coverage as all other women.

ShadowLiberal

(2,237 posts)

3. Why do we keep on ceding ground on this issue when 99% of women have used birth control

Reply to SunsetDreams (Original post)

Mon Feb 6, 2012, 11:56 PM

Feb 2012

Seriously, why do democrats keep talking about this issue as if it's controversial? Polls have shown that 99% of Catholic women have used some kind of birth control while sexually active, and Catholics are supposed to be banned from using any birth control.

The fact of the matter is despite what the anti-abortion religious zealots say on the other side not even their own supporters follow their decrees against birth control.

Whenever the religious right starts to talk against birth control and killing a fertilized egg that's even a minute old we need to start asking them "ok then, is it murder when a woman has a period, because she let her egg die rather than fertilize it so a person could be born? Is it murder when a man releases a bunch of sperms but doesn't get a woman pregnant with any of them". By right wing logic the answer to those questions must be yes.

Liberal Veteran

(22,239 posts)

4. One could also ask where one draws the line?

Reply to ShadowLiberal (Reply #3)

Tue Feb 7, 2012, 12:18 AM

Feb 2012

Could a company owned by Christian Scientists offer insurance that only covers prayer?

Personally, I wish there was a wall of separation between church and medicine. I wasn't particularly thrilled that a choir was roaming the halls of the hospital singing hymns while I was recovering from a heart attack, but at least it didn't interfere with my medical treatment.

The idea that one should be held hostage to the theological notions of a particular religion disturbs me deeply.

It is one of the reasons I wish we had a secular national health care system.

sufrommich

(22,871 posts)

6. Actually, a better question to ask the is "when

Reply to ShadowLiberal (Reply #3)

Tue Feb 7, 2012, 10:22 AM

Feb 2012

will we start putting these women in jail for murder, if they are in fact committing murder?" They never have an answer for that.

SunsetDreams

(8,571 posts)

5. kick

Reply to SunsetDreams (Original post)

Tue Feb 7, 2012, 10:18 AM

Feb 2012

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