Birth-Control Hearing Was ‘Like Stepping Into a Time Machine’
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(Image Credit: ABC News)
Showing an enlarged photograph of the all-male panel at Rep. Darrell Issa’s committee hearing Thursday, a group of Democratic women senators took to the Senate floor today to protest the “assault on women,” for excluding a women’s perspective during the session on contraceptives.
“Reading the news this morning was like stepping into a time machine and going back 50 years,” Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said. “It’s a picture that says a thousand words, and it’s one that most women thought was left behind when pictures only came in black and white.”
The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform hearing on the contraceptive coverage rule called an all-male panel with no women representatives, prompting some women members of Congress to walk out of the hearing in protest. Issa, a Republican from California, is the committee chairman.
Democratic women senators today came to back them up in protest of the hearing.
“I’m disappointed. I know it’s a disappointment that’s shared by millions of women across this country,” Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., said. “I’m saddened that here we are in 2012 and a House committee would hold a hearing on women’s health and deny women the ability to share their perspective.”
Senator Murray said that while the recent “attacks” on women’s health care seem “swift and sudden,” she believes they are not.
“There is nothing new about these Republican attacks on our family planning decisions. In fact, from the moment they came into power, Republicans in the House of Representatives have been waging a war on women’s health.”
As for the hearing, Issa Thursday said Democrats could not add their witness because she was not a member of the clergy, but a student at Georgetown. He also faulted Democrats for not submitting the name of the witness, Georgetown Law Center student Sandra Fluke, in time.
Issa’s staff sent a letter to the Democrats, saying, “As the hearing is not about reproductive rights but instead about the administration’s actions as they relate to freedom of religion and conscience, he believes that Ms. Fluke is not an appropriate witness.”
But Sen. Kirstin Gillibrand, D-N.Y., promised that Democratic women senators will continue to stand up.
“If our Republican colleagues want to continue to take this issue head on, we will stand here as often as is necessary and draw a line in the sand that the Senate, the women of the Senate specifically, will continue to oppose these attacks on women’s rights and women’s health care.”
Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., said her 16-year-old grandson saw the photo and instantaneously knew something was off. “It’s all dudes,” Boxer said, quoting her grandson.
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Posted by: ww | February 17, 2012, 3:53 pm 3:53 pm
Issa said it wasn’t about contraception, but about Religious Freedom. So, where were the FEMALE religious leaders to give the female perspective on the issue? oh, that’s right, they were NOT invited! This is the 21st century, not the 1st Century.
Posted by: pksk531 | February 17, 2012, 3:58 pm 3:58 pm
It’s about how conservative MEN are allowed to impose their religion views on sex on the masses.
Posted by: Brave Brick | February 17, 2012, 4:13 pm 4:13 pm
The men claimed it was about “religious freedom” and we all can see it really is not. It is about men trying to control women through their religious beliefs. Nothing new there. Way to take society back to the Dark Ages, Republicans.
Posted by: Alice | February 17, 2012, 4:18 pm 4:18 pm
It’s about the ongoing assault on women, by the neanderthal GOP. And it’s about LOSING the votes of the female half of this country. Which they just did……….
Posted by: Disgusted with gop | February 17, 2012, 4:19 pm 4:19 pm
It’s unfortunate that believing in the supernatural can affect women’s access to health care. It’s been proven that contraception works. There is no proof, whatsoever, in a divine being, with superhuman powers, that give’s a rat’s ass about what happens down here on Earth. If there is, he’s doing a pretty lousy job.
Posted by: Plantain_11 | February 17, 2012, 4:28 pm 4:28 pm
Alice ~~ Yes, interesting isn’t it that it’s supposed to be about “religious freedom”. Sadly, it doesn’t seem to be about women’s religious freedom. Apparently in their minds women don’t deserve religious freedom because after all we exist solely for the pleasure of men and to reproduce like bunny rabbits.
Posted by: Joyce | February 17, 2012, 4:41 pm 4:41 pm
This has nothing to do with womens health. It has to do with an attempt to force the church to abandon it’s tenets. Birth control is widely available at non-religious institutions. Anybody who thinks women can’t get contraceptives is dim, they are everywhere.
Posted by: Bob | February 17, 2012, 4:42 pm 4:42 pm
So why didn’t the female Dem’s produce a female clergy instead of the lone female student? Because they knew what the hearing was about, what the rules were, and instead made it look like a chauvinist BS thing for their simple minded supporters who can’t read between the lines.
Posted by: Not a Liberal bot | February 17, 2012, 4:43 pm 4:43 pm
Reproductive Rights = Civil Rights, not Healthcare, or insurance. No one has ever indicated that birth control enhances a woman’s health, and in fact, in my personal case, did nothing but cause me serious issues. Private Religious Institutions (and Private Business) are PRIVATE for a reason, The government can do whatever it wants in a publicly run institution that is primarily supported by taxpayer dollars. Women who work at religious institutions that want birth control can get it elsewhere, i.e., Planned Parenthood, and probably for less than it would cost under a nationalized healthcare program.
Posted by: Hysteria. | February 17, 2012, 5:18 pm 5:18 pm
How is this an example of separation of church and state when contraception for women is cast as religious freedom by an all male cast? What about women’s religious freedom, and free will?
Seems like an impairment of women’s rights act, not religious freedom.
Posted by: pat | February 17, 2012, 7:17 pm 7:17 pm
If this conversation was about religious rights, then why didn’t the conversation end the minute the burden to pay for it was shifted from the religious institutions to the insurance companies? If you’re not paying for my birth control, then you have NO VOICE in whether or not it is available to me… My employer does not have a say in what my insurance company is offering to cover if THEY ARE NOT PAYING FOR IT!!
Posted by: SMSwitzer | February 17, 2012, 7:19 pm 7:19 pm
The better the access to birth control, the fewer abortions.
Posted by: John Fenner | February 17, 2012, 7:28 pm 7:28 pm
The hearing was about Obama overstepping and was not about birth control. Leave it to the Liberal Media
Posted by: carlf | February 17, 2012, 7:41 pm 7:41 pm
This isn’t about conservative men. This isn’t about freedom of religion. This is about patronizing low-lifes, passing themselves off as men, convinced that women have neither the intelligence nor the moral substance to stand for themselves. This is about mentally diseased, hate-mongering erotophobes. This is about sanctimonious hypocrites parading as men of the cloth, using religion to elevate hate and contempt for women to the status of a virtue. To the civilized world they extend greetings: “Welcome to the planet of the apes.”
Posted by: Frank Lurz | February 17, 2012, 8:44 pm 8:44 pm
Well, I am one female that does NOT want to pay for other’s contraception. It is their right to have birth control, but I should not be mandated by the government to pay for something that I do not support. Employers should not be mandated by the government to pay for contraception if they do not support it due to religious reasons. If you as an employee don’t like that, you are free to seek employment elsewhere.
Posted by: KatrinaC | February 17, 2012, 10:47 pm 10:47 pm
As a woman I feel that the only thing wrong with this situation is that the threat to religious freedom is being cleverly turned into something else entirely, as if the only reason for this hearing was the birth control issue, anyone that’s been keeping up on the situation knows better. This is about our government forcing it’s ideology onto religious organizations. It makes no difference if you understand the Church’s stance against birth control, it only matters that the Catholic Church and it’s organizations are being forced into submission to go against their own faith. i don’t care how many women or men were at that hearing as long as the government comes to an agreement that it cannot force a religion to participate in something that is against it’s faith. That’s the issue and that is the only issue that matters.
Posted by: valerie Terzi | February 17, 2012, 11:03 pm 11:03 pm
I do not believe the Democratic Senators will garner widespread support. Women are starting to realize that they would rather pay $10 a month, if not free, out of pocket for their own contraception than have their liberty and religious rights stripped away.
Posted by: 1972Patriot | February 17, 2012, 11:23 pm 11:23 pm
Well if it’s ‘about freedom of religion and conscience’ then it’s a constitutional issue and a point of law.Why were there no Constitutional scholars or lawyers testifying? I mean , granted it was all ‘kumbyah’ looking to have all these different denominations andfaiths represented, but all these guys can testify to is what they WISH the extent of their rights were. So Issa hit the trifecta here, he excluded women because “it’s not about contraception”, he excluded female CLERGY , and he has on a constitutional matter given creedence to the mere opinions of men of the cloth over legal insights by qualified legal minds.
A preist, a minister and a rabbi walk into a bar and the bartender says, “Is this some kind of joke?” This was some kind of joke.
Posted by: Jean Wall | February 18, 2012, 12:27 am 12:27 am
Separation of Church and State is a total joke in the US. This country more and more is being influenced by powerful religious groups, most that pay zero taxes as non profits, owning radio and television networks. It amazes me how the American people allow such fragrant tax evasion and attacks in their freedom.
Posted by: TVtatas | February 18, 2012, 9:02 am 9:02 am
I do not believe the Democratic Senators will garner widespread support. Women are starting to realize that they would rather pay $10 a month, if not free, out of pocket for their own contraception than have their liberty and religious rights stripped away.
Posted by: 1972Patriot | February 17, 2012, 11:23 pm.
How does this strip their liberty or their religious rights? No one is FORCING women to take birth control. Your argument is rubbish. The Church says ‘We are against birth control’ (even though there is nothing in their bible to support that position.) But even WITH that position, the REALITY is that 98% of Christian women use birth control during their lifetime. If the Church were really concerned about this, they would REQUIRE their own sheep to stop using birth control. That ain’t happening. For a very good reason: they would lose half their flock overnight. The Church is maintaining a hypocritical, yet typically misogynistic stance here.
Posted by: Disgusted with gop | February 18, 2012, 1:05 pm 1:05 pm
Women who work at religious institutions that want birth control can get it elsewhere, i.e., Planned Parenthood, and probably for less than it would cost under a nationalized healthcare program.
POSTED BY: HYSTERIA. | FEBRUARY 17, 2012, 5:18 PM 5:18 PM
This becomes slightly more difficult when Planned Parenthood is defunded.
Posted by: Catherine | February 18, 2012, 5:41 pm 5:41 pm
More Liberals and more Neo-Cons trying to destroy Individual rights again. Here is the deal and it’s really simple, if a religion objects to providing a service that goes against their religion, than it is their right, you liberals and Neo-Cons want to sit here and pass judgment, yet funny how you never mentioned there was no Islamic leaders there, why not ?, because your crazy statists.
There are literally thousands of places a Woman can go to get birth control, heck even all the Schools hand them out anymore, so if you have a beef with a Religion and you have no respect for the 1st Amendment, than go to a country that has no respect for freedom of religion and stop trying to force feed your beliefs down everyones throats and leave them alone, because when you do, they will leave you alone.
Posted by: Jeff | February 19, 2012, 9:42 pm 9:42 pm