Marcotte writes: "With the fig leaf of religious liberty removed, Republicans are in a bad situation. They can either drop this and slink away knowing they've been punked, or they can double down. But in order to do so, they'll have to be more blatantly anti-contraception, a politically toxic move in a country where 99% of women have used contraception."

President Obama announces his compromise plan on the birth control mandate, February 10, 2012. (photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Obama Punks the GOP on Contraception

By Amanda Marcotte, Slate

11 February 12

fter two solid weeks of Republicans rapidly escalating attacks on contraception access under the banner of "religous freedom," Obama finally announced what the White House is proposing an accomodation of religiously affiliated employers who don't want to offer birth control coverage as part of their insurance plans. In those situations, the insurance companies will have to reach out directly to employees and offer contraception coverage for free, without going through the employer. Insurance companies are down with the plan, because as Matt Yglesias explained at Moneybox, contraception actually saves insurance companies money, since it's cheaper than abortion and far cheaper than childbirth. Because the insurance companies have to reach out to employees directly, there's very little danger of women not getting coverage because they are unaware they're eligible.

That's the nitty-gritty. The fun part of this is that Obama just pulled a fast one on Republicans. He drew this out for two weeks, letting Republicans work themselves into a frenzy of anti-contraception rhetoric, all thinly disguised as concern for religious liberty, and then created a compromise that addressed their purported concerns but without actually reducing women's access to contraception, which is what this has always been about. (As Dana Goldstein reported in 2010, before the religious liberty gambit was brought up, the Catholic bishops were just demanding that women be denied access and told to abstain from sex instead.) With the fig leaf of religious liberty removed, Republicans are in a bad situation. They can either drop this and slink away knowing they've been punked, or they can double down. But in order to do so, they'll have to be more blatantly anti-contraception, a politically toxic move in a country where 99% of women have used contraception.

My guess is that they'll take their knocks and go home, but a lot of the damage has already been done. Romney was provoked repeatedly to go on the record saying negative things about contraception. Sure, it was in the frame of concern about religious liberty, but as this incident fades into memory, what most people will remember is that Republicans picked a fight with Obama over contraception coverage and lost. This also gave Obama a chance to highlight this benefit and take full credit for it. Obama needs young female voters to turn out at the polls in November, and hijacking two weeks of the news cycle to send the message that he's going to get you your birth control for free is a big win for him in that department. I expect to see some ads in the fall showing Romney saying hostile things about contraception and health care reform, with the message that free birth control is going away if he's elected. It's all so perfect that I'm inclined to think this was Obama's plan all along.

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+110 # LeeBlack 2012-02-11 14:23

The usual hypocrisy. The Republicans insist that Obama's 'mandate' was a situation of where the government is too involved in personal lives. While at the same time they advocate drug testing for those receiving unemployment insurance.

+59 # Trish42 2012-02-11 14:29

I remember playing bridge in college and how satisfying it was to finisse someone. Obama did just that. Tahee, tahee.

+106 # Barbara K 2012-02-11 14:34

Can't imagine why any woman would vote for any of these women-haters. They are trying to make us Taliban women. What next? Burkas?

NEVER VOTE REPUBLICAN !!

our future is at stake

+94 # fredboy 2012-02-11 14:36

Republicans hate contraception because they think they can breed up a right wing army to oppose and suppress everyone else. I know some Repugs who have more kids than they can afford who tell me they fear being "outnumbered" by minorities and others. Crazy stuff. I've often wondered how Republicans and right wingers have any kids at all considering the fact that I can't think of anyone in their right mind who would have sex with them.

+13 # X Dane 2012-02-11 20:15

Yep fredboy, other dumbasses.

+6 # colpow 2012-02-12 05:04

. . . .and there are a whole lot of those around, unfortunately.

+79 # Cactusman 2012-02-11 14:46

The last thing we need is more humans. Birth control is critical to our future. Not more mouths we cannot feed, house, and transport.

We're already the most successful large mammal ever in terms of population density ever achieved. WE are the world's most invasive species. It's high time we quit letting the religion nuts dictate population and sexual morality. Keep it to yourselves. Dogmatic religion poisons everything it touches.

-155 # Martintfre 2012-02-11 14:52

//the insurance companies will have to reach out directly to employees and offer contraception coverage for free,//

Forcing business to subsidize personal contraceptive business .. Is there no f*ing aspect of personal life the federal government is not involved in? Any limits any at all ?

+78 # Midwestgeezer 2012-02-11 18:53

It turns out, not surprisingly, that providing contraceptive care for 'free' is a win-win for the insurance companies! It's much cheaper than paying for either abortion procedures or for carrying pregnancies to full term. The other bonus? Broader contraceptive use will continue to reduce the abortion rate.
This really ticks off the anti abortion/anti-c ontraception folks who continue their old refrain to git the gummint off'n our backs!

+50 # tclose 2012-02-11 22:00

Martinfre - it is amazing how you always show up during these discussions by intelligent people, to add your inane comments. Of course there are many areas where the federal govt is NOT involved, but this one is so important to the health of American women it has to be a part of any comprehensive health plan.

Oh yes, I forgot, you are of course utterly opposed to any health plan that actually helps people.

+39 # Ralph Averill 2012-02-12 03:28

How is paying for birth control any different than paying for any other preventive medical procedure like statins (sp?) for cholesterol, flu shots, blood pressure medications, colonoscopies, mammograms, etc.? Should employers be able to pick and choose which one of those they are going to pay for through insurance premiums? Insurance co.'s gladly pay for these, and birth control, because they understand the wisdom of prevention and early detection.

+60 # DorothyK 2012-02-11 15:05

This is a great 'GOTCHA' for the President. It's win, win for all females in this country.

+76 # Robert B 2012-02-11 15:08

Anti-intellectu als taking on a smart guy has always been a problem for the GOP. Clinton was far smarter than George H.W. Bush, Bob Dole, and even Karl Rove. McCain and Palin got their butts kicked by the much-smarter Obama. Al Gore won 50.3% of the vote and only lost because the Supreme Court barged in at the last minute to put their imprimatur on that stolen election.

If the far left holds onto its ideological purity and sits out this election, they will discredit themselves with a lot of people who might otherwise be sympathetic. And you might consider the possibility that Obama is far smarter than YOU are, too.

Don't lose your focus on the main event: the separation of Republicans and power.

-89 # Martintfre 2012-02-11 15:12

//Insurance companies are down with the plan, because as Matt Yglesias explained at Moneybox, contraception actually saves insurance companies money, //

It is amazing ow the insurance companies and their armies of actuaries totally missed that fact but it clearly is obvious to meddling politicians who view people as cattle to be cared for by their munificent hands.

+52 # pbbrodie 2012-02-11 19:29

Have you read one single word of opposition to this plan from insurance companies? You find it okay for the government to tell us we can't use contraception but not okay to tell insurance companies to provide coverage for contraception with no copay? That BS about "forcing" insurance companies to provide "free" coverage for birth control is so outrageous it is beyond the pale. How is it free when you pay for your insurance coverage. People like you make me ill with your hypocrisy of "keep the government off our backs," except when you want the government to reach in and control our private lives, especially sex lives.

+35 # KittatinyHawk 2012-02-11 20:01

You are a juvenile. Government has been involved in Insurance for a long time. If you ever worked for a living you may have heard of workman's comp.

Most of us who work...we work for our Benefits, so we are entitled to them. Get a Job

Suprised you are here, figured you would be with the other anti Christs at the CPAC.

+7 # Karlus58 2012-02-12 08:40

By the way...did anyone catch some video footage of that CPAC? It looked like Congress......n obody there.

+10 # GeeRob 2012-02-11 21:06

Do you live in Idaho with a stockpile of guns?

+13 # Doctoretty 2012-02-11 15:12

I don't quite understand why it wasn't done this way in the first place.

+2 # KittatinyHawk 2012-02-11 20:06

Believe it was but the companies forgot to put it in the pamphlet figuring they were doin right by God and could ease their ....normally I would say conscience but the white trash today do not have consciences.

Perhaps if insurance companies are willing to do this for preventative measures, there are other clauses we had and were not told?

+26 # giraffee2012 2012-02-11 15:17

IF those who "need" to vote GOP - can't they work out that the GOP/TP stance of "religious rights" means "the religious rights of a person" (not to be confused with a "person hood".)

The leaders of the Catholic (Mormon, any religious entity) have individual "religious" rights but each person who belongs to that religious entity has "individual" rights.

The Organization (such as the Catholic Church and it's CEOs or Bishops/Cardina ls/etc) does not have "religious" rights b/c the constitution deals with an "individual's" rights.

Could it be that the Supremes' "person hood" decision = i.e. that Big$ Corporations have first amendment rights to buy our government elections actually confused so many about "individual" rights WITH "PERSON HOODS"?

Those 5 Supreme Court justices on the "right" (bought by the GOP/TP) are just plain Stupid and deserve to be called Stupreme Court Justices: Scalia/Thomas - retire - just GO AWAY.

If I sleep with someone it will bath, eat, walk, marry, etc but Scalia / Thomas made it seem like "I could sleep with a Corporation such as BofA etc" Yep - "Stupid is as Stupid does"

NEVER VOTE GOP/TP - but vote in 2012 (we still have that right - -except some Koch bought governors have suppressed the ability of some United States Citizens from voting today - "should be reversed before the 2012 election" or GOOD BYE preserving our Republic

+35 # X Dane 2012-02-11 15:30

Don't we know it. The GOP always TALKS about wanting SMALL government..... .They sure go really BIG, given half a chance. For they want to DRUG TEST people getting unemployment help....MORE government.

But they REALLY blow it when it comes to the way they treat women and women's issues. What are they thinking about, in trying to outlaw contraception? They also want to CRIMINALIZE abortion. They have already made it very difficult to find a doctor who will perform one.

Sooooooo in an already overcrowded world, they want a lot more children to be born. Children, who in many cases are unwanted, for a variety of reasons.
A LOT more GOVERNMENT will be needed to control and subjugate women.

GOOD LUCK with that, GOP. You are royally screwing up, for all THINKING women will not walk, they will run like hell AWAY from you. Rick Santorum is a fanatic idiot. Keep listening to him and you are SURE to loose

+10 # KittatinyHawk 2012-02-11 20:11

They do not want the kids, they want money...Churche s do nothing ... they need money.
If there were no people where would there paychecks, roof, vacations, booze come from?

If we all stopped paying our taxes, put in escrow, and stopped giving contributions to Churches Let us see where they would be in time. Greed, Insolence is what they are Role Models of.

+9 # pernsey 2012-02-12 13:35

I agree with you X Dane, the GOP is really screwing up, and Rick Santorum is a fanatic idiot!

+51 # DFrenkel@changecatalyst.com 2012-02-11 15:55

The Catholic leadership is in no moral position to give anyone advice on sexual behavior. They have decades of healing work to do for the sex crimes of their priests.

Obama has finessed the GOP on this issue and skwered their lame attempt at wedge politics. Of course this is just one of the GOP's wedge issue campaigns for this election cycle.

They can be relied upon to go back to Gay-bashing, racism (Food Stamp President) and their losing plans to reduce taxes for the very rich. Carl Rove lives on this kind of segmentation. He is fundementally evil.

+16 # KittatinyHawk 2012-02-11 20:13

No church or Temple are Role Models..none of them. Man is not infallible.

Today in Washington the Conservatives big time CPAC is a White supremist, Anti Gay, etc Hootnanny. White Trash all in Washington and No Terrorists...pr oves again the Terrorists are a GOP/TP Fairy Tale

+50 # Regina 2012-02-11 16:18

Unfortunately the hysterical Republican misogynists are not "taking their knocks and going home" -- and the Bishops are still acting like an super-legislatu re with the quaint idea that American religious freedom means Catholic religious regulation. I agree that Obama's crumb of modification, to have insurance companies supply no-copay contraception when the employer refuses, is a workable alternative. If that puts egg on the faces of the women-haters, it's just "over easy" and goes well with "ham."

+12 # KittatinyHawk 2012-02-11 20:18

Catholic Church and others are hypocrites.
Supposed to uphold life yet allowed women to carry babies beyond years. Allowed women to die from child birth. Allowed families that had/have no jobs starve, get thrown out on their butts...but they all pass that collection plate, over and over.
Saying it is for God and Jesus. Neither of them ever asked for money but Religions always have...Greed believe that is a Sin, Mortal in Catholic Faith.
Thous Shalt not Kill..another Religious and Man Law none seem to want to uphold unless it is someone else.
Intentionally spreading disease so that children will die, believe that is the newest all time low. More to come from all Hypocrites. Religion was invented by Man, Like government to Control the Masses, nothing more

+37 # AMLLLLL 2012-02-11 16:24

Here it is: an egg is not a chicken; just as a zygote is not a human being. All this hyperbolic double-speak came about in the 60's when the Catholic church headed toward the Dark Ages by declaring that a fertilized egg is a baby. It was a control move to keep women in their reproductive place. Before this arbitrary, non-scientific decision made by the Pope, the Church's stand was that a second trimester foetus was considered a baby, and worthy of baptizing if miscarried. Many in the Church heirarchy were upset by this decision, but of course you had to publically go along with the Pope, 'God's voice' on the planet.

Santorum would have all women barefoot, pregnant and at the behest of their mate. Eewwww! He has not realized that women are people in disguise.

+4 # KittatinyHawk 2012-02-11 20:26

I raise chickens...my males fertilize all the time, however, I have never had a chick...it is the incubation. And no one really knows when that starts.
Some semen in animals have a longevity longer than ours. Scince has not proved anything about exact time of life
I was told in 72 that the kick is an electrical impulse. We have them dead as a doornail.
fact is children of 18 work they have rights to keep themselves from getting an unwanted pregnancy. A woman with dibilitating disease, family background of disease, has right to choose. Same for a man choice to raise child.
If every woman who was raped were not on birth control do you know how many abortions, children sold to slavery, perhaps dead from abuse there would be..yes we do...they ignore. They want numbers for money. Church Politicians...m oney

+23 # Billy Bob 2012-02-11 16:32

I don't think the GOP gets "punked" about anything. Here's why:

I realize 99% of all women have used contraception, so that would certainly put the GOP on the wrong end of the fight, right?

WRONG! Here's where liberals could learn a lesson. The GOP mostly wins fights by being willing to FIGHT THEM. If they cower, they lose. If they fight, under normal circumstances they'd be shamed, humiliated and put in their place; BUT REMEMBER, THIS IS THE GOP!

You can't shame the shameless.

Liberals still don't understand that not everyone votes for who they think is right or more intelligent in an argument. Most people seem to vote for whoever is more passionate and shows convictions - EVEN PHONY CONVICTIONS (see oliver north & ronny ray-gun).

Stick to principles and don't back down, THEN AND ONLY THEN, maybe the fact that 99% of the population basically agrees with you, will translate to "winning".

Until then, don't be surprised if Democrats STILL find a way to be punked against all odds.

+2 # KittatinyHawk 2012-02-11 20:30

We get changed votes by more and more stupidity. do know how many of the voters for GOP/TP are not showing up?
At least one third...seems to be unMediad.
If this continues it speaks millions. If young women see this attitude towards their life, I believe they will hopefully sign up under a new party. But I hope they sign up. I believe we Are Proving we Have Convictions and Conscience not GOP/TP

0 # Billy Bob 2012-02-12 11:47

I agree. That sounds wonderful! Now, how can we get Obama to start DOING SOMETHING?

+7 # tclose 2012-02-12 12:20

This is an astute comment, Billy Bob. Although the smart reaction by Obama has solved the issue without "caving" on his part, and will be appreciated by progressives and many women groups, this is red meat to the GOP and the right wing theocracy. And although a victory for progressive health care and women generally, expect the GOP to use it to advantage in the election run-up to fire up the troops.

Unlike Ms. Marcotte's contention, I personally don't think this was a strategy hatched by the Admin to punk the GOP - I think the original strategy was not well thought out, but clever reaction to come up with an alternative saved the day.

+2 # Billy Bob 2012-02-12 14:18

Thanks. You put it well. This doesn't seem like a victory to me at all. A victory would be single-payer and not having to fight this fight in the first place. It sounds like making bad headlines for repugs out to be an accomplishment.

There should be more of a point to winning elections than just to win elections.

Winning an election doesn't mean anything unless it translates into winning policy, and that would be more than just a few scraps once in a while.

+21 # soularddave 2012-02-11 16:35

No one has ever been denied religious liberty by being allowed to *opt out* of something.

+25 # Midwestgeezer 2012-02-11 16:53

Irony of ironies! Mitt says "We're all Catholics now.", ignoring the dirty little not-so-secret that a sizable percentage of evangelicals hold the Pope' leader of the Holy Roman Catholic Church to be the 'anti-christ'. Strange bedfellows indeed.

-18 # Billy Bob 2012-02-11 19:25

The most serious chink in the armor of social conservatism. If only the left had some politicians who understood politics and were willing to exploit it. This may be a sign that, Obama is the anti-Democrat. In other words, he's a great politician with no convictions - 180-degree opposite of Jimmy Carter, for instance.

+4 # Billy Bob 2012-02-12 11:53

I was due for some serious negatives. I still haven't bought into the idea that Obama making the GOP look bad translates to him actually accomplishing anything.

Can he turn this whole flap into an argument for SINGLE-PAYER?

Remember single-payer? .... anyone???

THAT was what he promised in his campaign. He took it off the table before he bothered to fight for it. "Obamacare" is "Romneycare". We didn't "win" anything. We gave away billions more to the totally redundant health insurance industry.

I agree it's nice to see repugs look bad. They have no business in elected office. Still, we DID elect Obama, and we expected him to do something other than just sit back and let them make themselves look bad.

+25 # SouthBrun 2012-02-11 16:56

President Obama is one superb rope salesman. Those Repub-LIE-cans buy it, tie the noose, and hang themselves.

+5 # KittatinyHawk 2012-02-11 20:31

Yahoooooo Today they are with the Noose makers....KKK, white Supremists, Anti Gay in DC. Perhaps learning some new knots.

+18 # Kiwikid 2012-02-11 16:59

Wisdom prevails!

+35 # Windy126 2012-02-11 17:05

I have religious freedom too. It is the freedom from having to abide by someone elses' religious beliefs. You can tell that it is an election year by all the nonsense they are trying to get us to react to. They trot out contraception even though every poll taken put it at the top of what women want. Depending where you get your facts from between 58% and 99% of Catholic women are using or have used birth control. How stupid are the people of this country? Tell them to stay out of your bedroom and mind their own business.

+9 # jon 2012-02-11 17:11

I like good news !!

-30 # Gogojoe 2012-02-11 17:20

I get trying to put a good face on something but this is ridiculous! Obama got his head handed to him over this, even from some strong political allies.
I'd bet he'd much prefer that this never blew up in the first place and "punk" them later.

+9 # pbbrodie 2012-02-11 19:34

That is a most odd interpretation of the facts. Exactly how did Obama lose this fight he so clearly won?

+5 # Gogojoe 2012-02-11 20:45

Quoting pbbrodie:

That is a most odd interpretation of the facts. Exactly how did Obama lose this fight he so clearly won?

I'm not talking about the "issue", but rather the distraction it caused. Obama is right on the subject and I appreciate that but he didn't need the uproar with Catholics that are (usually) on his side: Matthews, Dionne etc. Let the republicans chop each other to shreds; we don't need to be in that game for months.

+15 # Ralph Averill 2012-02-12 02:52

Pissing off the bishops is not the same as pissing off Catholics who, on the subject of birth control and contraception, don't pay any attention to Catholic hierarchy anyway.

+4 # Gogojoe 2012-02-12 10:06

Quoting Ralph Averill:

Pissing off the bishops is not the same as pissing off Catholics who, on the subject of birth control and contraception, don't pay any attention to Catholic hierarchy anyway.

You are totally correct BUT Chris Matthews and E.J. Dionne are NOT some out of touch "redhatted" bishops... They are opinion shapers/makers! Like it or not, this was a bad play. It was done for the right reasons , but lost something in the translation. I'm not a right winger here, but a realist that sees a bit of a misplay.

+26 # Ralph Averill 2012-02-11 17:33

Maybe it was Obama's doing, but I think it was as much the Republicans shooting themselves in the foot, again. My god, I've never seen such ineptness as I have seen in the Republicans this cycle. On this particular issue, they have allied themselves to a collection of pedophiles and the aiders and abettors of pedophiles, (aka Catholic bishops,) that not even Catholics pay much attention to. In the end, I think Ms. Marcotte is right. Republicans have solidified and expanded support for the Obama medical plan. They have also undermined there own attempt to get elected in November.
Adios. mfers.

+4 # Midwestgeezer 2012-02-12 06:54

"...shooting themselves in the foot..."indeed! It seems that they've been hit a bit further up than the 'foot'!!

+13 # pernsey 2012-02-11 17:47

PSYCH!! The Greedy Old Pigs got it in there face!

+18 # ABen 2012-02-11 17:48

It certainly looks like the Rethugs, with some help from Obama, backed themselves into a corner again. Gee, how did that happen? The 'mean spirited bunch' just can't seem to be anything but. :-)

+16 # Rick Levy 2012-02-11 17:56

I don't know. Many Americans, especially conservative Christians of both genders are hypocritical enough to condemn in such practices as extramarital sex while still engaging in it. Even those right-wingers who use contraceptives will likely buy into the Rethuglicans' foaming at the mouth diatribes against Obama's "attacks on religious freedom" if the message is repeated often enough.

+6 # BradFromSalem 2012-02-11 18:11

This is just super. Another non issue turned on its head by Republicans. Their motto, "If you can say anything good about Obama, don't day anything".

Religious freedom my ever lovin' ass. And I hear normally sane Democrats repeating that hogwash. I don't believe or agree with a lot of policies of our government and various religious and secular organizations I may belong to. If I demanded that I agree 100% with every one of them, and so did everyone else, nobody will pay taxes or donate ant money.

I wonder what the next phony issue will be?

+41 # genierae 2012-02-11 18:15

President Obama is a very intelligent man, and a political genius. He is improving every day, rising above his initial inexperience and if he gets another four years, there's no telling what he can do. Republicans are incensed because he makes them look so bad, and every time they think they've got him, he slips away. He's their worst nightmare, a black man who's superior to them in every way, and they will never forgive him for that.

+6 # MissMarple 2012-02-11 18:49

The doubled down.

+26 # lcarrier 2012-02-11 19:40

I'm puzzled why the Catholic bishops keep whining about contraception when they should really be concerned about rooting out the pedophiles in their midst.

-9 # Street Level 2012-02-11 22:05

Somebody, please tell me I'm wrong. The warmongers are going to force all births to happen so that they can lure our young men and women into the military on the promise of a college education. I've also heard that many veterans who are returning will be re-trained as teachers in the public k-12 system. It sounded great until I began to wonder about who would be choosing who gets hired and on what criteria. Somebody? Anybody?

+8 # tonenotvolume 2012-02-12 00:53

As a teacher and an ex-vet I have to chuckle at the extent of your ignorance, paranoia, and reprehensible perspective. Perhaps you should go back to school? Yes, you are so wrong.

+9 # SOF 2012-02-12 00:41

Boehner's rant about persecution of religious rights seemed so blatantly hypocritical until I realized he was talking to his idiots. Forced birth is persecuting rights of women of all religions. If Republickers keep up with this tactic someone needs to bring up that Mitt's dad was born in Mexico because polygamous Mormons had to leave US. (Polygamy still exists in Mormon sects -Warren Jeffs?) Or maybe the part about having to wear silk underwear, or the part about a Mormon man can enter heaven if he fathers 8 children, but women can only be called into heaven by their husbands. i heard all of these and more when I lived in a Mormon town -from former Mormons! Republickers tactic to repeat a lie, or a ridiculous truth, could be used against them. I think Democrats are too civil to do that, but it could happen....... And I agree that zygotes aren't people until they are formed and can survive on their own.

+8 # Citizen Mike 2012-02-12 06:44

IMPORTANT to REMEMBER AND PROCLAIM LOUDLY AND REPEATEDLY the essence of this issue:
REPUBLICANS ARE ANTI-SEX! Most people like sex, so this will work against them in the voting booth. The Republican position descends from those colonial Puritans who burned witches and branded adulterers! Opposition to contraception, abortion, gay marriage and realistic sex ed in school are all part of a unified PURITAN ANTI-SEX IDEOLOGY that is out of step with modern life!

+4 # Billy Bob 2012-02-12 12:16

Maybe they're courting the Shaker vote.

+6 # fredboy 2012-02-12 10:27

Cactusman is on target. When it comes to the way our species treats the planet and future generations, we make locusts look good.

+3 # MylesJ 2012-02-13 10:58

Another case of the good ol boys playing checkers while Obama is playing Go

0 # Texgotham 2012-02-14 08:45

The answer to those who oppose federal funding of birth control is quite simple. If you don't like birth control, stand on principle and don't accept federal money. It was the same religious entities in the 19th Century who opposed painless childbirth because the Bible said that "...in pain shalt thou bear forth children..." They also opposed medical dissection of human cadavers in Medical schools which led to grave robbing. I can just hear the howls when in the future Islamic charities and healthcare faclilities demand fheir right to apply Shari'a law to reproductive care.

0 # bluepilgrim 2012-02-14 11:39

It seems to me it is women (and their partners) getting punked more than the GOP. The article at http://socialistworker.org/2012/02/14/how-right-took-over-debate akes more sense to me than this one.

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