States attack ‘Obamacare’ with birth control bills

[jpak]

http://bangordailynews.com/2012/02/17/news/nation/states-attack-obamacare-with-birth-control-bills/

BOISE, Idaho — Republican lawmakers in a handful of states are opening another front in the war against President Obama’s health care overhaul, seizing on the hot-button issue of birth control with bills that would allow insurance companies to ignore new federal rules requiring them to cover contraception.

Measures introduced recently in Idaho, Missouri and Arizona would go beyond religious nonprofits and expand exemptions to secular insurers or businesses that object to covering contraception, abortion and sterilization.

“In its present state, the health care bill is an affront to my religious freedoms,” said Idaho Republican Rep. Carlos Bilbao, who is sponsoring the bill.

The ACLU counters, saying such bills discriminate against women.

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[shraby]

1. He doesn't have the right to impose his religious views on someone else's religious freedom either.

[Bjorn Against]

2. Good, I am glad they are doing this

Let them expose theimselves, the vast majority of the public supports birth control and attacking birth control is going to wake a lot of people up to their agenda. If they want to fight this issue we are all more than happy to fight back.

[mike_c]

3. BilBao's religious freedoms are an affront to reason....

eom

[drm604]

4. WTF?

He actually believes that religious freedom means having the right to impose his beliefs on others?

Fine. If the Republicans want to lose the female vote, that's their right. They should go right ahead and continue with this nonsense and lose elections because of it.

Then they can rant all they want but be powerless to force themselves on others. Fine by me.

[SemperEadem]

8. know what is sad?

there are a lot of thug women who are on the same side of this issue as he is. They will vote against their own best interests.

[lunatica]

27. We fought and got these rights before

There aren't enough women on the other side just like there weren't when these rights were first won. And now there are a lot of younger women who took these rights for granted because they had the rights, but they aren't giving those rights up either. That's not how it works in the Western world.

[SemperEadem]

31. that's how it works in America

where women exist who will vote against their own interests whether one wants to believe it or not. The rest of the western world I have way more faith in.

[AlbertCat]

22. religious freedom means having the right to impose his beliefs on others?

His religious freedom is an affront to my religious freedom...

so I don't have to pay for his salary or pension or perks... right?

[silverweb]

5. Idiot.

[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]What he calls and "affront" is to his religious sensibilities and has nothing at all to do with his freedoms, since he's still perfectly free to not purchase or use birth control -- just as every other person is still (currently) free to use or not use it according to their convictions.

What he and these other reTHUG goons want is to impose their sensibilities on other people's (women's) freedoms.

Anyone who doesn't know the difference between "sensibilities" and "freedoms" doesn't belong in public office.

[madrchsod]

6. the insurance companies are going to love this...

birth control pills are far cheaper than covering medical expense of hospital costs and the further costs of a woman having a baby. it`s cheaper for employers if fewer women have babies and the related cost of time off of work and fmla.

most if not all insurance companies offer a certain amount of standard policies across a wide range of employers. the exemptions would cost everyone more money.

[SemperEadem]

7. exactly how does the ACA impact your religious freedom?

is someone forcing you to take viagra against your will or something?

how does me being in charge of my reproductive processes for my own body infringe on you being able to say "thank you jesus"? How does it keep you chained to a radiator on sunday morning when you want to go to church, exactly?

what give you the right to weigh in on what is not fit for you to weigh in on when it comes to any woman you did not sire or marry?

the next illogical step on this crusade to strip adult American women of their right to self determination/autonomy? Ramming laws through congress to force women out of the work place and back into the home where all we do is act as breeding machines.

Just how does their vision of rights of american women differ from those of the Taliban?

[juajen]

13. I think you just coined a phrase, "The Republican Taliban." Sounds right to me. Next thing you

know, they'll be bombing statues they don't approve of and designing burkas for us poor misguided women to wear. What in the world is going on in our country, or is it just "their" country?

[Beartracks]

16. Aspirin will be sewn into the fabric...

... so you can press on it with your knees.

==========================

[SemperEadem]

23. dont' forget

Mike Huckabee wanted to outlaw miniskirts:

[AmandaRuth]

10. do insurance companies cover viagra?

why no outcry against that? why is it ok for men to get drugs to get a stiffie and it is not ok for women to get drugs to protect against the natural outcome of that stiffie. What, are women supposed to have children every nine months? What are we, breeding cows now?

[chimpymustgo]

26. Also, would the birth control bans apply to vasectomies?

Would that be a no-no, too?

[eyewall]

11. The Constitutional guarantee of freedom of religion

DEMANDS that laws like this not be passed. You cannot legislate a specific religion's rules into law. You cannot impose some state legislator's religious beliefs on everyone. It's Un-American, Un-Constitional, Anti-Woman, Superstitious, and Pathologically Dellusional!

or... republican.

[Cherchez la Femme]

12. So tell me, what's the position on Viagra?

Why do I get the feeling there's gonna be no problem to getting prescriptions & access for that?

[SemperEadem]

24. Because you're quite on the mark.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/02/14/1064701/-In-birth-control-fight-Catholic-bishops-take-hard-stance-on-Viagra

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/02/13/146822713/why-catholic-groups-health-plans-say-no-to-contraceptives-yes-to-viagra?ft=1&f=103537970

[BadGimp]

14. They are ALL Lyinng Cowards

This is nothing more than blatant political theatre executed to distract the public and the media from the reality that the GOP hasn`t got a fucking clue how to win in 2012, and even less of a plan for America other then more of the same slash and burn of the middle class and working Americans.

They are so scared shitless they are resorting to the old tired, overused and ineffectivee canard: Culture Wars.

They are going to get fucking crushed in November.

All of this shit will come back like spring chickens to haunt them come the final electiion stretch.

[Beartracks]

15. His religious freedom extends to curtailing others' freedoms?

Which country does he think he's living in?

===========================

[jmowreader]

17. Ol' Carlos' approval numbers probably just jumped fifteen points

Carlos Bilbao is the state representative from Emmett, county seat of Gem County, which is very small, very remote, very fundamentalist and no gem. If you've seen "The Cannonball Run" you might remember the town where Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. got pulled over by the sheriff at gunpoint. A banner hung across Main Street with the sheriff's campaign slogan, "God, Guns and Guts will free us all from these hippie nuts." Emmett is the Idaho version of that town.

The thing you need to understand about Emmett is, the women who vote for this man don't think they're voting against their own self-interest, they think God ordained them to produce a never-ending stream of children. And there's no way to change their minds.

[DallasNE]

18. Carlos Bilao Is An Affront To My Religion

I don't need him shoving his religion down my throat.

Besides, it is my understanding that, while State law can go further than Federal law, it cannot restrict Federal law. If that is the case then these laws are nothing more than political grandstanding intended to fire up the base for November.

[ejbr]

19. I'm kinda with the Republicans on this one...

after all this time, I cannot count on the intelligence of the average American voter when it comes to state politicians.

[Vinca]

20. We'll see how the health care bill "affronts" their religious freedom when

big insurance stops sending the campaign checks. Birth control pills are a whole lot cheaper than labor and delivery and the name of the game is money.

[SemperEadem]

25. you know, I wouldn't be surprised

if the next thing they do is to say that using an epidural during delivery goes against their religious beliefs because god said that women were condemned to go through labor and delivery in mind-splitting pain because Adam didn't kill the serpent who offered Eve the apple, like he had the authority to do. When Eve gave him the apple, he should have beaned the serpent with it, not taken a bite out of it because god had the conversation with HIM before Eve was created about not eating from that tree. One who didn't exist when the party line was formed cannot be blamed for not knowing the party line.

Eve has been framed ever since and all women, since religion has been established, have been punished because of it.

[BumRushDaShow]

21. Hopefully women in these states

will help to throw these bums out of office! Time for a complete rout.

[Iliyah]

28. OUTLAW ORAL SEX

and rubbers!

[sofa king]

29. How's that gonna work out for the knuckledraggers?

[uppityperson]

30. His "religious freedoms" involve imposing them on others?

[truthisfreedom]

32. States attack ‘Obamacare’ with birth control pills???

Are they firing them from bb guns?