Obama Contraceptives Mandate Losing Senate Democrats?
EmailA handful of Senate Democrats have split with President Obama’s controversial birth-control mandate and slammed the administration’s requirement that church-affiliated employers cover contraceptives.
The five Democrats in the Senate expressing concern about some parts of the administration’s policy include, most recently, Sens. Ben Nelson of Nebraska and Bill Nelson of Florida, who have spoken publicly about their unhappiness with the mandate.
“This was a bone-headed decision by HHS,” Sen. Ben Nelson said of the new Health and Human Services mandates, according to the Nebraska Radio Network.
Nelson agreed with state Attorney General Job Bruning’s decision to file a legal challenge to the mandate.
Florida’s Nelson has also raised concerns. “My position is that church-affiliated organizations should be exempt, not just churches,” Nelson told the Tampa Bay Times Buzz Blog, adding that he has called the White House to express his concerns.
“It’s a matter of religious freedom,” Nelson spokesman Dan McLaughlin told ABC News.
The senators’ statements follow other Democratic senators who voiced concerns this week.
Sen. Joe Lieberman, the independent from Connecticut who caucuses with Democrats, tweeted Wednesday, “I am opposed to the Administration’s new requirement that religious org.’s must offer employees contraception benefits.”
Democratic Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania wrote a letter to President Obama last week calling on him to reverse the new ruling. ”I have strongly supported efforts to provide greater access to contraception,” Casey wrote. “I believe, just as strongly, that religiously affiliated organizations like hospitals and universities should not be compelled by our Federal government to purchase insurance policies that violate their religious and moral convictions.”
Meanwhile, West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, up for re-election, has teamed with Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida on legislation that would repeal the administration’s mandate.
In a letter sent to Obama last week, Manchin called the mandate “a direct affront to the religious freedoms protected under the First Amendment of our Constitution.”
Likewise, Republicans have called for the same thing en masse, coming out strong in a coordinated fashion this week in the House of Representatives and the Senate, demanding that the president change his position.
“The Obama administration’s decision to force religious hospitals, charities and schools to comply with the mandate that violates their religious views is abhorrent to the foundational principles of our nation,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, said on the chamber floor this week. “This is a huge mistake that I hope the administration is currently reconsidering. And if they don’t, Congress will act.”
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Just think of all the laws you can shirk by declaring your business to be affiliated with some church.
Posted by: Jenn | February 9, 2012, 3:20 pm 3:20 pm
Why the hell are we talking about contraceptives? I’m sure it’s the least worry on American’s minds.
Once the conservatives get involved with anything it turns into chaos and grid lock. Leave things alone, if you don’t want coverage for contraceptives, check the little box.
Posted by: tmferretti | February 9, 2012, 3:25 pm 3:25 pm
i do not understand the authority to make such decisions.
Posted by: craig | February 9, 2012, 3:32 pm 3:32 pm
@Jenn – “Why the hell are we talking about contraceptives? I’m sure it’s the least worry on American’s minds.
Once the conservatives get involved with anything it turns into chaos and grid lock. Leave things alone, if you don’t want coverage for contraceptives, check the little box.”
It was the liberals that tried ramming this through in the first place and the conservatives have to come behind the libs and clean up the mess they make. If you libs would just “leave things alone” then we can all concentrate on real problematic issues. Not a day goes by that somewhere some lib is pushing to somehow further demoralize this Country and force people who try to stand for a certain standard of morals, principles and values and the libs are always trying to force people to lower their standards or otherwise impede on their values or religious beliefs unless of course that religion deals with Islam or Muslim.
Obama and the HHS liberals have made this attempt to impede on Christians especially Catholic belief simple because they want more control and power over the people and to further shove his Obamacare down more throats of Americans and institutions within this Country.
Research would probably reveal that one, some or all in the Obama Administration has got stock in some pharmaceutical Co or insurance kick back is why they have tried to make this a mandate.
Now not just conservatives but anyone that holds a value on their religion has to defend their constitutional right in which libs have tried to trample. We shouldn’t have to be spending time fixing the unconstitutional mandates that you liberal morons keep messing up. Leave things alone and issues like this would not be required to spend time on. Then Congress can spend more time on fixing the economy rather than fixing the liberals injustices force upon the people.
If you still haven’t figured it out, it was the libs that pushed this through with support from Obama and HHS not the conservatives that brought this up. It is the Conservatives that now have to block this ridiculous mandate created by the libs.
Posted by: Rob | February 9, 2012, 4:00 pm 4:00 pm
Don’t blame conservatives, Mr. Ferretti. If we conservatives had our way, HHS wouldn’t be issuing edicts about mandatory employer-paid insurance benefits at all much less ones that violate First Amendment rights. There are no little opt-out boxes to check. That’s part of the problem. This, I’m afraid, is but one battle in what is shaping up to be a long and protracted war. I’m sorry if that’s too chaotic for you, but life’s tough.
Posted by: SukieTawdry | February 9, 2012, 4:09 pm 4:09 pm
Any Democrat Senator that doesn’t support the President should retire-ala Ben Nelson,crypto-Republican of Nebraska. All of the Democratic Catholic Senators support this decision, as do the overwhelming majority of Catholics.The Catholic bishops are simply not going to be able to forbid their employees from using birth control.The Mormons had to give up polygamy, the Catholics are going to have to give up obsolete beliefs and join the 21st Century.
Posted by: Gobama | February 9, 2012, 4:09 pm 4:09 pm
@ gobama
What?
Posted by: craig | February 9, 2012, 4:17 pm 4:17 pm
Posted by: Gobama—-It doesn’t say they forbid their employees from using birth control, it says they won’t pay for it, you sex life is you business and your responsibility, if the employes don’t like it they can go find a job with someone who will pay their bills.
Posted by: snewsom2997 | February 9, 2012, 4:25 pm 4:25 pm
What you dems, libs and Obamabots do not understand is that this about the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Why do you think the First Amendment is the First Amendment? When they come for you last you will be surprised. Go figure.
Posted by: Zman | February 9, 2012, 4:37 pm 4:37 pm
Obviously the law has to be blind and inclusive, the admin will allow people to request waivers ike they do all rules, instead of making some special dispensation for the catholic church affilate to get their own little sharia there. However in the mean time, why not let Romney go all anti contraception at CPAC? Too much fun.
Posted by: Seamus | February 9, 2012, 5:41 pm 5:41 pm
Why would you not prefer freedom and choice rather than a dictate from a King? The issue is not contraceptives; the real issue is the constitution. Who gives the president the right to mandate this or the dispensation from that? Congress makes laws. The administration administrates the government whose job it is to protect America from enemies, foreign and domestic. The judicial branch is to enforce laws made the congress. All three branches need a class in the constitution. The president is executive ordering like a monarch; the federal courts are interpreting law rather than enforcing it. The congress is making laws based on ear marks, fringe lobbyists, and financial gain. All three branches need to be fired and ordinary citizens need to be placed in the positions and given only the US constitution to work off of. Using only that i am sure a homeschooler who ahs passed the 6th grade could make the tough decisions our government has.
We have allowed our government to make a mockery of the entire system, all three branches.
The real issue is freedom and liberty for America. It is written and it is true that “When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice; when the wicked rule, the people groan”.
We do not want to be ruled by the heavy hand of government from which we fled or for some of us were carried away. We want a place where we can do right, have hope, and live in peace with our brothers. Not be told what we will do what we will not do by people that are exempt from the same laws that are breaking the backs of Americans, and dashing the hopes of generations and even of other lands. For centuries people have been trying to leave their countries for a better life in America. How many Americas are fleeing to distant lands where they do not even speak the common language in order to place hope in future that is better? Yet our governments are trying their hardest to emulate the foreign lands who are perishing in their lack of freedoms their lack of liberty, their lack of justice, their lack of constitution, their lack of reverence to a higher authority in a merciful and good God.
Do not be blinded by the distraction of the flavors of the day. They come and go, but be leery of the greater issue the small piece of liberty being taken; The small division being sewn amongst fellow Americans, exchanging goodness for evil and calling it good (political correctness).
Get a copy of US constitution and read it fact check on the way they conduct themselves as our representatives? Do they represent you?
Let us grow weary doing good, trusting in a benevolent God, working hard for our families, being content to serve one another, for as of yet they have not made those things against the law. Stand up for what is right. “Trust in the Lord and do well”
Posted by: craig | February 9, 2012, 6:41 pm 6:41 pm
My own religious conviction is that God punishes us with disease and rewards us with good health, and that it is a sin to ever try to intervene in his will medically.
I’m therefore stripping practically everything out of my employees’ policies. If I can’t, I won’t be able to sleep nights, because I would have a guilty conscience imagining to what unnatural ends they might choose to apply their insurance, and of course I can’t be stopped from stripping out those policies, because my Republican friends are backing me on this, since it is a matter of my own religious freedom.
Plus, I save a lot on the health premiums I pay to cover my work force, since their pay package basically only includes chiropractic care and homeopathy, which don’t offend my religious scruples because I deem them entirely ineffective.
Posted by: frank burns | February 9, 2012, 7:07 pm 7:07 pm
Wait……..I thought the Libs were all about separation of church and state……you know cant have the ten commandments on the front lawn of a court house………and now ya’ll are trying to get in the business of a church? If this sticks, its just the beginning of the Libs controlling the church and christianity for which this country and its laws are founded upon……
If the Libs don’t like Christianity, then go live in Europe I hear the economy there is booming!
Posted by: Bobby Jean | February 9, 2012, 9:56 pm 9:56 pm
If I am not mistaken. Amish and muslims are exempt from obomacare altogether.
Posted by: Jen06 | February 9, 2012, 10:46 pm 10:46 pm
I remember this Great Cuban family lived next door on Highland just north of Washington in South Central in LA when I was going to John Burroughs junior High School, [(at least that is what they used to call it, now its middle school, Anyway) that's where I had the misfortune of meeting the Baldwin's in the 60's] and just after Bobby was shot {Kennedy} this guy had like fifteen kids living in a two bed room apartment. He said he was Catholic. I was trying to sell door to door to make some doe and all he could do is tell me how he was mandated by the Church “Not to use condoms” I asked him how would they know? He told me his wife would turn him in. Wow! kinda like the one million Moms turning in Helen Huh? It;s just that now these Lady Mooks got to find a new soap box becuse God got no vote in the matter. He worked three jobs and she was a stay at home mom. Things change or have you not heard?
Posted by: Keith Richard Radford Jr | February 10, 2012, 7:16 am 7:16 am
Obama need to stay out of the birth control business. Worry about his daughter and wife’s birth control. The teachings of the Catholic Church if you are not Cathloic is nobody’s business by their church. If the catholic people have a problem they can take it up themselves with their parishioners. WHo is OBAMA ?? a Femenist- He need to fix this economy with millions out of work. Let the people have their own religious freedom and how dare he step in and say what my christian church(i am a member of) better do. THis administration is anti relgion to me anyway. Obama is a secret Muslin but he is also trying to be a dictator. Religious freedom is a right no President(Dictator) should be able to control. Obama needs to go America-he is getting worse each day.
Posted by: LINDA SIMMONS | February 11, 2012, 1:58 pm 1:58 pm