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Subscribe to RSSWhite House press secretary Jay Carney engaged in a rare back-and-forth with GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney from the podium of his briefing room on Wednesday.
Carney, who hasn’t mentioned Romney by name in almost a month, was asked to comment on the former Massachusetts governor’s condemnation of the Obama administration’s new contraceptive coverage plan, after he slammed it Tuesday as an “an assault on religion.”
Noting that Massachusetts has the same contraceptive requirements and exceptions for churches as the proposed national rule, Carney called Romney an “odd messenger” for criticism.
“The services that this rule would provide for women around the country are the same that are provided in Massachusetts and were provided under when he was governor, including contraception, including covered with no co-pay or deductible, and a religious exemption for houses of worship and churches and to church-controlled organizations such as parochial schools, but not to universities and hospitals.”
“This is, I think, ironic that Mitt Romney is… criticizing the president for pursuing a policy that's virtually identical to the one that was in place when he was governor of Massachusetts,” Carney said.
Carney has lately avoided criticizing the presumptive Republican frontrunner by name, responding to reporters’ questions about him only in general terms. He last mentioned “Governor Romney” in a briefing on January 12th, when he noted Romney’s opposition to the federal automobile bailout.
But Romney, who has made President Obama his chief target since announcing his presidential bid, shot back immediately at Carney, saying the spokesman should “check his history” and that the Massachusetts law mandating contraceptive coverage was put in place before he was governor and that he “worked very hard to get the legislature to remove all of the mandated coverages, including contraception.” (The White House noted that Carney did not, however, say Romney was responsible for the policies, only pointing out that they existed under his tenure).
Romney did, in fact, veto a bill in 2005 that sought to expand access to the emergency contraception pill by allowing pharmacists to dispense it without a doctor’s prescription. But the bill became law anyway after a wide statehouse majority overrode the veto.
Just a few months later, however, Romney’s public health commissioner ruled that Catholic and other privately run hospitals could opt out of the new law, which prompted Romney to say that he believed rape victims should always have access to emergency contraception.
“My personal view, in my heart of hearts, is that people who are subject to rape should have the option of having emergency contraception or emergency contraception information,’’ he said at the time according to the Boston Globe.
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The GOP will figure out this is a no win position before long because trying to ban contraception isn't going to sit well with 75 percent of the population. Whoever they finally nominate had better not try use the issue to win votes because that's not going to happen. I don't know how they expect to lead this nation when everything they do and say is based on trying to get the country to live like the year was 1950 and seem to have no clue about how the country is trying to move past bigotry and small mindedness.
consider-it:
It's NOT birth control. It's constitutional law. You and I may not agree with the Catholic stance on birth control but it is in their right to not fund it and the government should stay out of it. If we fold on this issue, what's next? What other religious freedoms do we give up? Wearing a yamaka? Facing Mecca for prayers? Doing the sign of the cross in public? Silent prayer in a public place? The government needs to keep the separation of Church and State even if we don't like it. Birth control is available over the counter at any drug store.
Bernie - 28 states already have the statue in their legislation. Before you complain maybe you should start with those 28 states, many of which are RED states.
And the Catholic church isn't required to fund it, they are required to offer it in their health plan, and if they don't offer prescription drug coverage in their plan they are not required to offer it. If fact, many catholic organizations now offer it in there health plan, and No catholic is REQUIRED to buy any of it..
Now if the government was mandating you use it, that's another issue, but they don't.... You want government out, stop trying to legislate abortion. Again, the current law doesn't require you to have abortions, they just say that if the women choses, she can have on under certain conditions.
Not A single pro-life women has ever been forced into an abortion under current law...NONE....that's separation of Church and State..
Bernie - You do realize that over 90% of catholic women use birth control..
In other words they don't follow catholic docturine to the letter.
This isn't about who uses birth control. It's about law and the first amendment. You can't arbitrarily have a separation of church and state only when you agree with the outcome.
the catholic church is forcing women who are not catholics to adhere the their belives if they want to work for an institution that it affiliated with the catholic church. they are not going to give women birth control, and they are not going to pay for it.they simple can not withhold the right for women to decide if they want to use it or not. SIMPLE!!!! can anybody with any sense think it should be otherwise?
I'm so sick of the right trying to force their bull sh$t down my throat. The law doesn't require people use contraception, they just require they make it available.
All those devote catholics (all 10% of them), that follow the churches teaching on this, don't have to buy any....they can continue the rythum method and churn out those babies..
The other 90% of catholic women who use it anyway, well they have access to it.
GOP clowns...what the economy is getting better so this is what you need to bring up...
This is one fight the Right and Christian Right cannot win. This is a fact not an opinion. 98% of women view this issue in a positive light, meaning that they are in favor for it. They risk alienating around half of the country by rallying against this issue and they are either going to drive them to vote for Obama or to not vote at all.
The year is 2012, not 1840. These churches need to catch up to the rest of society and stop trying to keep their boot on the neck of social progress. Religion has no right to tell someone they cannot use birth control if they want to. That is what this mandate is all about. Churches failure to provide birth control in their healthcare plans is illegal under equal protections laws which churches are not immune from.
Churches as subject to all laws, seperation of church and state is only meant so that:
1. churches do not influence the laws nor politics of the country
2. so that the Government does not mandate what religions can do outside of the Government's purview to do so; this issue happens to fall into the category where the Government can do something about it.
Churches have to provide equal opportunities to their workers no matter if it goes again their teachings or not because the actual followers are not always going to follow those teachings so strictly, not everyone is going to be a complete sheep and blather off some line from the Bible as justification for the Church not providing those opportunities and will actually think logically about the issue.
The other reason the Right have latched onto this like a baby breast feeding is that they can no longer spin economic doom and gloom for the moment, or at least not do it and keep most Independents listening to what they have to say. Instead they are using it as a distraction from both the complete and total upset by Santorum and from the good economic data.
Republican's seem to be stuck in 'attack' mode, if they cannot get unstuck they are going some of their base/other voter support.
In my opinion, that issue of contraceptives should go to Gingrich :-)
Jay Carney and Obama are not trying to insure the "right" for women to access contraception, they are trying to insure the "right" to have contraception paid for by taxpayers. Women already have "access" to contraception, but until Obamacare is fully implemented, those wishing to purchase birth control must pay fpr it out of their own pocket. There is no law at this time preventing any woman, to either ask her doctor for a prescription or go to the corner drugstore. And for the White House to posture and act grandiose, using terms like "rights" is pathetic and disingenuous. This is just the beginning, a test if you will, of how Heathcare Reform, when fully implemented will errode the "rights" of everyone. Once you hand over to the Government your "right" to make decisions about YOUR health, your very life will hang in the balance. And if the Government deems decisions you make are "unhealthy", laws will be passed and enforced to change your unhealthy BEHAVIOR, because of the COST to the public doesn't pencil out. Tobacco, alcohol, skateboarding, whatever will be outlawed for the "good" of society. Paranoia????...........really?
You can't just go to the corner drug store and pick the Pill, an IUD or a depo shot out of the aisle. You have to go see a doctor. The doctor has to write a prescription and then you have to either have the procedure (IUD) or get the medication.
Republicans complain of a welfare society, but then they are against keeping the population down.
People are going to have sex. You aren't going to legislate morality. Its better that they have access to cheap or free contraception (that is reliable, works and is something they will use) than to have to foot the bill for unwanted children.
'The one' has decided that the Federal money amassed in the TARP, 'stimulus', Obamacare and other government power grabs will be used as a club to bludgeon ANYONE who dares to oppose his view of a 'new' (but not improved) America. But that's what a power grab is all about. The President does not lie - he has been telling us THROUGH HIS ACTIONS every single day who he is and what he stands for. Catholics and others who listened to the words delivered so elegantly from the teleprompter were lulled to sleep. The question is - come NOVEMBER 2012, will enouph citizens awake in time to turn the Obamunist tide?
Nope. Obama 2012.
And if the religious right, christianity and conservatives are feeling the hate, oppression and prejudice from the left and from the current government?
Well, I just say thats payback for all those years those organizations have done the same.
This is great! I love that Odumbo's arrogance is showing again and he will lose votes! Stick with it Barry! He'll eventually fold on the deal due to flip flop pandering to his voters. You know, the ones that are looking for free cell phones, votes on skin color, and looking for any type of govt hand out.
Bah Bye Obummer! Last day 1/20/13!
The argument of a its a womans choice to use contreception doesnt apply to this. There is no choice if it is allowed to be covered in ones health insurance plan. Because Obamas national healthcare plan is a mandate.
I for one would find it difficult to label the guy next door a coc&%#$ker whilst holding a dic& in my mouth. Thank you John Boehner and Rick Santorum among others for re-enforcing my athesim! It is exactly your brand of hipocracy that makes organized religion disgusting to many people. Keep up the good work.
Captain - enjoy your feelings on religion with the other 3% of the population that agress with you. How does it feel to be a brown pair of loafers in a world of black tuxedos?
Our Constitution protects the minority from the majority. It doesn't matter how many people believe in their imaginary friend, it does not make you correct.
After all at one time all but a few people believed the world was flat.
Ryan - your minority/majority gibberish as it relates to the Constitution comes straight from your liberal K-12 teacher using faulty textbooks long on liberalism and short on historical fact or a liberal prof.
The Bill of Rights protects all whether in a minority or majority in a Democracy. We write laws to protect all through our duly elected representatives in a Democracy. The Constitution protects all from an omnipotent govt. that intrudes into personal freedom not matter a minority or a majority.
And for the record Ryno the separation of church and state only applies to preventing our govt. from establishing a compulsory, mandated national church viz. the Church of England in a U.S. version. It only changes when dum-dum liberal Judges decide to legislate from the bench - which is a breach in their conduct.
Which was what I was saying, Rebel. The minority (Atheists and non-christians) are just as protected as Christians are.
And Rebel, yes, I know. Which is why the United States is not a Christian Nation, no matter how hard Christians want it to me. It is a nation free of religious laws, honoring none over the other. Freedom of Religion also gives me the right to not believe in a religion or be subjugated under laws formed strictly for Religious reasons.
So please keep your religion out of my government, please?
Your bible tells you contraception is a sin. Murder and the termination of any life is a civil, secular matter. The law has deemed contraception and abortion legal, so take a long walk off a short pier.
I"m not quite sure, what the catholic church is complaining about. It was on the news this morning, that a great many of the catholic universities, already pay for birth control through their health care plans. They mentioned DePaul and Georgetown as examples. Also several people locally, who are employed, by a catholic hospital, stated that their birth control, was also payed for by their health insurance.
If the catholic church wants to turn this into a political battle for whatever reason, then maybe it's time they started paying taxes.
I just want to see if this war against religion has legs, 28 states (that's a majority for the numerically challenged) already require that all institutions provide birth control funding (8 even require church organizations to provide the coverage, which are exempted under the new rules). Just another trumped (no pun intended) up issue to hide the fact that there is no viable candidate on the right.
BTW to Governor Romney, the US is not the only country where its citizens cover their hearts when their national anthem is played.
It is incredible how incompetent this Administration is when it comes to common sense policy.
Obama has effectively alienated 5% of his support last election - working class Catholics. Add Latinos in there and he has trouble on this issue and it's huge. No matter the liberal mainstream media has completely ignored it.
That matters not when every Catholic parish in the U.S. has the pulpit reminding parishioners of this assault on their religious freedom. And it is just that no matter how liberals want to parse it.
This president continues to assault the Constitution in this case the 1st. He has assaulted the power of appointment clause, war powers in Libya, mandated forced participation in a govt. healt insurance program and possibly the the commerce clause with Obamacare (SCOTUS will decide on that), and other Tricky Dick Nixon-style games.
Frankly, this guy is worse than that liar Richard Nixon ever was when it comes to trampling the Constitution. He thinks it outdated and thus he'll ignore those parts he disagrees with in his professorially splendid elitist mind.
May I remind this dolt that adherence to the Constitution, as written, is the application of the tried and true as opposed to his version which is the application of the untried and unknown.
Obama is booksmart but he hasn't the common sense to understand a damn thing about what got us here, as the beacon of hope in the free world with the highest living standards in the world, in the first place.
Instead, he'll take the 10M in poverty, a small percentage of our population, which has climbed to 15M during his tenure, and use that as proof our system has ruined too many. Sure thing, Mr. Food Stamps.
I am a practicing Catholic. I believe in what our faith teaches and try as best I can to live my life accordingly. I understand this issue being an insult to what we believe, but there is something equally important that hasn't been mentioned and I don't know why.
Whether legal or available, contraception and/or abortion can only happen if someone makes the decision to do so. That decision making ability comes from something God gave to all of us: FREE WILL. Point being; no matter the law or the available employer health care benefit - no one is holding a gun to our heads to use contraception or have an abortion. They are decisions we make totally of our own accord.
Lastly; as a practicing Catholic I believe in the correct definition of Pro-Life, which is the protection of all life from conception to natural death. The definition of Pro-Life is not open for debate or discussion; it is clear and is not ambiguous. Every Republican candidate for president and every Evangelical and some Catholics claim to be Pro-Life advocates; when in fact they support the death penalty. This intentionally misleading lie is particularly egregious coming from the mouth of Rick Santorum who is also Catholic because he supports capital punishment (sorry Rick, you can't have it both ways). Not to mention the fact that he is using that claim to advance a political career and agenda that has hardly anything to do with the teachings of Jesus.
Please understand that Rick Santorum represents a group within the Catholic faith long known as "smorgasbord" Catholics. They pick and choose what they want to believe in and follow (like walking down the buffet table), and dismiss beliefs they don't like as not worthy of their following. Rick is not alone. Sean Hannity and Bill O'Reilly are two more that immediately come to mind.
I only ask that America, and the world for that matter, to please not judge true Catholicism from what you hear and see coming from the likes of people like this. They too have free will and have chosen by their own accord to define their faith outside the tenants of our true faith. Trust me, none of them have the Imprimatur from Rome.
Yankee - what a BS post. O'Reilly, Santorum and Hannity are "smorgusboard Catholics". Tell me exactly what they coose not to believe in - as a matter fact show me anyone of any Christian faith that falters on something such another at some time.
The people you dismissed simply have core beliefs and some are more stongly held than others.
You mention Santorum supports capital punishment as an example. Well, as a politician he has to make decisions based upon what his constituents want absent of church doctrine. In his case you are comparing apples and oranges.
well said yankee7
Great comments, I like to think that resources should be made available and then let us govern ourselves and we make hopefully the right choices. However, I don't think birth control should be made available or a means for 14 year olds to go out and "play" they have yet to learn to govern themselves if this is what they want, others that age who plan on waiting are the noble ones, its a gift we should never abuse in any way, shape or form, Sex that is. And let us as parents, and guardians teach beyond making right or wrong choices; teach what can be the consequences will be in any case, even though we are not listened to much :)