Just a few more months before we can repeal all of this nonsense.
On Thu, Mar 1, 2012 at 2:02 PM, Tommy News <tommysnews@gmail.com> wrote:
Blunt Amendment Vote: Contraception Measure Fails In Senate
Posted: 03/01/12 11:56 AM ET | Updated: 03/01/12 12:02 PM ET
Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.)
The Senate voted on Thursday 51 to 48 to reject a controversial
amendment sponsored by Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) that would have
overridden the Obama Administration's new contraception coverage rule
and allowed any employer to refuse to cover any kind of health care
service by citing "moral reasons." Three Democrats, Sens. Bob Casey
(Pa.), Joe Manchin (W.Va.) and Ben Nelson (Neb.) voted with
Republicans in favor of the amendment, and only one Republican, Sen.
Olympia Snowe (Maine), voted against it.
Although Obama's contraception mandate includes a broad exemption for
churches and faith-based employers, Senate Republicans argued on
Thursday that requiring any employer, even a non-religious one, to
cover health services that they oppose is an attack on religious
freedom.
"This is just the beginning," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell
(R-Ky.) said on the Senate floor before the vote. "If the government
is allowed to tell people to buy health care, it won't stop there. I
wonder what's next? This isn't about one particular religion -- it's
about the right of any American to live out their faith without the
government picking and choosing which doctrines they're allowed to
follow."
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), one of the few Senate Republicans who
identifies as pro-choice, reluctantly voted in favor of the measure,
even though she admitted that it was "flawed." She said she was
dissatisfied with the administration's response to her question about
self-insured religious organizations, which may still be required to
cover contraception for employees under the new rule.
"I feel I have to vote for the Blunt amendment with the hope that its
scope will be further narrowed and refined as the legislative process
proceeds," she said. "I do this with a lot of conflict, because I
think the amendment does have its flaws, but when the administration
cannot even assure me that self-insured faith-based organizations'
religious freedom is protected, I feel I have no choice."
Opponents of the bill pointed out that the amendment not only would
have allowed employers to cherry-pick women's health care options
based on moral beliefs, but it also would have rolled back some of the
basic anti-discrimination protections in the Affordable Care Act. For
instance, under the amendment, an employer could refuse to cover
things like HIV/AIDS screenings, prenatal care for single mothers,
mammograms, vaccinations for children and even screenings for diabetes
based on objections to a perceived immoral lifestyle.
While Republicans have been trying to frame the issue as being purely
about religious freedom and not about women's health, female lawmakers
and Democrats have argued that the amendment is the latest front in
the so-called war on women.
"Women and families across America can breathe a sigh of relief that
this radical amendment was blocked by Senate Democrats today," said
Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) after the vote. "It was absolutely
appalling that Republicans forced us to spend days and days dealing
with contraception and women's health, but I am hopeful that we can
now get back to work on legislation to create jobs and invest in
communities across America."
--
Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time.
Have a great day,
Tommy
--
Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time.
Have a great day,
Tommy
--
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