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A House Republican lawmaker likened the implementation of a new mandate that insurers offer coverage for contraceptive services to Pearl Harbor and the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks against the United States.
Pennsylvania Rep. Mike Kelly (R), an ardent opponent of abortion rights, said that today's date would live in infamy alongside those two other historic occasions. Wednesday marked the day on which a controversial new requirement by the Department of Health and Human Services, which requires health insurance companies to cover contraceptive services for women, goes into effect.
"I know in your mind you can think of times when America was attacked. One is December 7th, that's Pearl Harbor day. The other is September 11th, and that's the day of the terrorist attack," Kelly said at a press conference on Capitol Hill. "I want you to remember August the 1st, 2012, the attack on our religious freedom. That is a day that will live in infamy, along with those other dates."
Republicans cried foul when the Obama administration first announced the new rule, reasoning that it would force employers with a religious affiliation to act in a way that contradicts their beliefs. The outcry included criticism from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and President Obama subsequently announced a compromise in which employers wouldn't be forced to offer insurance plans that cover contraception, but insurance companies would be required to offer coverage to women who wish to purchase it.
Republicans rejected the compromise, and subsequently attempted several times to advance legislation to reverse the mandate. The imbroglio contributed to Democratic charges of a GOP-led "war on women."
"This is a right that every American should be outraged, outraged about what this administration and Secretary Sibelius has set forth here on August the 1st," New York Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle (R) said at the same press conference as Kelly. "And as Mike said, August the 1st is a day that we as American will look at as the largest assault on our First Amendment rights."
*UPDATE* Hawaii Sen. Daniel Inouye, a veteran of World War II, condemned Kelly's comments in a statement.
Leave a Comment:
To the Republican women out there do you understand what it is the people you are supporting want to do? When did CONTRECEPTION become an evil word? Your party has gone off the deep end. I understand if you don't like Obama but you can't IGNORE these ongoing comments from your elected representatives.
I would not liken it to Pearl or 911, but maybe rape. What else is it when a person is forced to do something against their own values. No one is denying any women contraceptives, but at least they should pay for it themselves or find employment with a company that has them as a benefit. Last time I checked their is still freedom of religion in this country and that freedom prevents the federal government from forcing any person to do something against their will as long as no one is harmed. Your rights do end at the end of your nose.
And on another note - no mention on NBC of the long lines at Chick-fil-A or that most of the restaurants ran out of food. But if 3 people show up Friday for the gay kiss in, I bet it will be blown up to appear there were hundreds.
It is time for a Massive Gay In, I hope gays DONT Boycot Chic Fillet... I hope they make it Gay Central... but dont worry he can make a Ton of money.... Its all about pissing off self rightious supporters of what the man said... I hope they Gay it the "F" up....
I am not Gay but many of my friends are and they DONT CARE IF HE PERSONALY HAS THESE VIEWS!!!! But dont Say your Company has those same Views.... Because they DONT!!!!
I hope they To Wong Fu the CRAP out of Chic Fillet... It wont be long before they close up and ship back down south... Ya Know where IGNORANCE is a virtue
Vox! Maybe you need to educate yourself. It was all over NBC last night. The lines, the quotes and ther opinions. Your argument does not hold up in any way. Try again
You're kidding, right? Rape? You people and your overly dramatic reactions are insane. Have you ever talked to a rape victim right after it happened or had a member of your family raped?
Having a law providing contraception is in no way close to rape and making statements that it is is exactly why people can't have logical conversations.
Exactly how does this affect anyone's right to practice any religion they want to? Please explain that to me.
"I would not liken it to Pearl or 911, but maybe rape. What else is it when a person is forced to do something against their own values."
Um, yeah, you mean like the members of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops fondling little boys? Values? Ha. The Church has as much moral authority as American politicians. None. God please save us from organized religion and politicians!
Why are the repubs, still fighting the same old battles, of yesteryear it is time to move on, all I see is that you are so out of touch its funny. you guys have nothing to run on but more and more to those at the top, and dam everybody else. The only way to end the maddness is to vote you far extreme, clown out of office for the good of country, and the world.
yet these people, usually conservative, piss and moan about people on welfare having more kids. does it not stand to reason that if you are paying for contraception of "baby making machines" there would be fewer mouths to feed on welfare? would there not be at least some control of population among the very people you want to forget and cutoff? I get it, there is a sense that some people on welfare are there to abuse the system, and there are those who are hard working, dedicated people that use the system as a stop gap to feed their family.
should we not be looking out for our own people? most conservatives and republicans claim to be christian, but does the bible not say that we are our brothers keeper?
the real tragedy is that contraception was not available when his mother was of child bearing years and she shouldn't have kept dropping him on his head after he was born.
These remarks are beyond disgusting. What complete and utter disrespect to those who lost their lives in these events. Much of the GOP today needs to seek mental health counseling. Instead they are heavily arming themselves. Just another extremist statement from a member of an extremist party. Warning to America - there is danger ahead! Think before you vote!
And what ignorance as the vast majority of Catholics in America use birth control. Instead those like the a--hole side with the Vatican. As if those men know anything about procreative, much less recreational, sex. You don't see many of those families with 8-10 children anymore. And how on Earth in this modern world can someone deal a family of that size? Certainly not practical for the poor and middle class as you have to be as wealthy as Mitt Romney to afford this anymore.
You people need to stop your fake outrage. The AHCA is here to stay. Now, get over it!
In other news, The Republican Congressional caucus have announced plans to introduce legislation to require all women to wear a head to toe covering also known as burkas unless thay work at a strip club frequented by Republican males.
My personal opinion, it would be a HUGE improvement if Michelle Obama was made to wear one.
amerigal — So glad you're personal opinion doesn't count! Also it would be a HUGE improvemnet if you went away
Little off topic aren't you?
It's time for the Republican party to split. ONe party for the extreme right wing wackos and another for the Eisenhower republicans. If that were to happen I'd very likely switch parties.
With any luck we may see this happen at the Republican convention this year.
It's time for the Republican party to split.
Great idea!
Rep. Mike Kelly and the rest of the right wing who have taken over the Republican Party are simply nuttier than fruitcakes. The Republicans love to talk about how they are for less government and keeping government out of your lives but are the first ones to be spying in your bedroom. It's a freak show.
This is just more proof how the religious faction of the right wing crazies are destroying this country with their ideology. They have their own set of facts, dilusional account of history and are just down right crazy.
There was something to be said when a wise man once said, "religion is the root of all evil."
Today's US Conservatives have completely lost their minds and are trying to impose their ideology on the rest of the world. We are in a major recession and all these whack jobs on the right are doing is pushing their social agenda on the rest of us. With the like of Palin, Bachmann, Limbaugh, Beck and Hannity what else would you expect.
This is the quintiseential example of being out of touch with mainstream America. What about couples who use contraceptives (aka condoms) because one of them has genital herpes, etc. I have to believe that these Republiclones who support these idiots are just incredibly ignorant. It all goes back to America's obsession with who is screwing who. Talk about fiddling while Rome burns!!
Vote Democratic, not because you like them, but because the Republiclones put people like this up as credible politicians. GEEZ!
I have been on this Earth many years and have heard and witnessed many ignorant statements and acts.
The IGNORANT STATEMENT from Mike Kelly makes every other ignorant event pale with regard to Kelly's pathetic, unreal, absurd, senseless utterance.
The out of touch, unreal, un-american pathetic Republicans have no understanding whatsoever what Democracy and Majority Rule entail and represent.
What the tea party and some other operatives in REALITY DESIRE IS A DICTATORSHIP, where only their issues would be considered and they are a very, very small MINORITY.
This clown face twit is really dumber than he look's. Republiklan's complain about to many people on the welfare roll's but will fight to force people who can't take care of the children't to have them.For these idiot's life start's at conception but ends at birth.Now they want to cry abstinence, but how many of them are practicing abstinence from their little blue pill(which is covered by insurance). They just want to make it hard(pardon the pun) on the people who make love the old fashion way, while the run around with their assisted erection's feeling like real men.
This is a perfect example of why no one takes the right seriously any longer.
Just wait, these Republicans are going to try and twist their twisted idiologies into war on woman and try to blame the Democrats for starting it. If these dolts are likining it to the atrocities of 9-11 and the attack on Pearl Harbor then this country is in a world of hurt. How in the world do these bone heads get elected anyway? I really can't see any woman voting for him. This clown is totally out of touch with reality.
For some reason, why would anyone in their right mind think birth controll shouldn't be covered anyway? It makes absolutely no sense. They seem to be out of touch with reality and shouldn't insurance companies already be covering it?
Statements like these are part of the reason why people do not trust politicians. I am still baffled about how these loony tunes even get elected to position in our government. If anything, they should be locked up in a padded cell with their tongues cut out.
This just in.....Republicans in the house are said to be closely watching former vice president Dick Cheney now that he actually has a heart. House speaker John Boehner said he might want to try one, but it would have to have an off switch so he could by-pass it when the house is in session.
If anything, he may have soft-pedaled it a bit. In both of the attacks on this country cited by him, much property was damaged or destoryed and many lives lost and people injured. But the founding principles of individual liberty were left intact. It the case of the HHS mandate forcing institutions run by religious organizations to include in the health insurance policies they fund either fully or partially for their employees such services as contrtaception, abortifacients, sterilization and abortion, which are contrary to the beliefs of those religious organizations, the Obama Administration is violating one of the key provisions of the very Constitution the presdient and his minions individually and severally promised to protect and defend. Many of the comments here show how successfully they have obfuscated the issue to their advantange in the minds of some. This has nothing at all to do with denying anyone access to contraception. If the mandate were not put into effect, nothing would change from the present condition. Those women who currently have acces to these services would still have them. Let's change the setting by going back one hundred seventy years or so. The buying and selling of slaves is a legal enterprise. The Supreme Court of the land has ruled that slaves are not persons under the law by are chattel. Suppose the government back then had decided that it was not enough for those who could afford them to be free to buy slaves, but that those who could not afford them should have some as well and passed a law forcing their employers to help pay for these government-mandated slaves, even the churches and aother organizations to whom human slavery was abhorrent. After all, it's only fair that the 99% who can't afford such domestic help should be able to be as well cared for as the 1% who can, right? The argument is the same, only the issue is different.
John, a church is a church and they are exempt under law. A hospital affiliated with a church is a hospital, not a church.
Let's not conflate the two for purposes of serving a political agenda.
John
I have several questions for you.
1) Did you know that Obama offered a compromise that would exempt religious organizations from being forced to offer contraceptive coverage?
2) Do you understand that none of this would be paid out of the public coffers? This is a mandate to Insurance Companies to offer contracepive devices. This legislations also does not mandate that anyone use said offerings.
3) Did you know anyone who was killed in the events of 9/11? Did anyone in your family perish during the attacks on Pearl Harbor?
If you can answer yes to any of the three questions listed above then your argument is null and void and you have been outed as a hypocrite. If you answer no to the first 2 questions then please read the complete legislation proposed and offered before you begin to comment on something.
If you answered no to the third question then you need to show some respect to those of us who did. Those were real lives lost....those people killed in both attacks were a cross section of America; parents, children, servicemen and servicewomen, grandparents, firefighters, police officers, shopowners and passersby. Those who died deserve NOTHING but the utmost respect from every single person who lives in this country. They were *ALL* innocent victims. To compare *ANY* piece of legislation to those events is so far beyond ludicrous I am not sure words can describe it.
We are edging towards idiocracy at a breakneck speed and people trying to defense the indefensable to further their own political ideology is one of the reasons.
How about instead of people making incendiary statements and then spending hours watching the flame wars that ensue...we instead focus on the *REAL* problems that we are facing and try and resolve them with some sense of bipartisanship like the founding fathers did when the country was formed.
You remember the founding fathers right? Those people who formed this country and who's view you try to espouse as your own. Do you think any of them were a part of "the party of NO". Do you think any of them had a motto of "We will do whatever necessary to make sure that my opponent is not re-elected to office?"
We all need to stop the rhetoric...stop the posturing...and start solving the issues that are crippling our country....and I will give you a hint...the OVERWHELMING majority of this country doesn't think this is one of those issues.
I couldn't care less if someone wants to "spread their legs" but what is objectionable is that I am now forced to pay for their tussle between the sheets. If they want to have sex, let them pay for their own birth control. I don't think condoms really cost that much. And if they can't afford them, I say keep your damned legs clamped shut. It is a total disgrace that Catholics are being forced to pay for something that is against their religious belief. If this was against the Muslim religion would Obama and his cronies have had the guts to insert such a mandate? My guess, they would have been to cowardly to upset the Islam cult.
Please explain how you are being forced to pay for a "tussle between the sheets"? This is about private health insurance that the woman or the woman and her employer are paying for.
False. Catholics are not being forced to pay anything.
It's the hospitals affiliated with Catholic churches that must conform. Same if the Catholic church were affiliated with a construction company or a chip manufacturer.
Let's not confuse the issue, intentionally or not.
Amerigal
Never opened your legs, huh? And the Virgin Mary had children AFTER JESUS, hence sex with Joseph. (Probably brought a bottle of wine home and got lucky - maybe Jesus turned the water into wine to help) I guess we should call her the Once Virgin Mary, kinda like 99.99% of the population.
There are only two kinds of Republicans, the rich and the stupid. This article proves it.
My mistake. Actually there are three kinds of Republicans, the rich and the stupid and the stupid rich.
The Republican Party is the Pearl Harbor of politics, they don't even know what they stand for. Hitching their wagon to the wrong horse with names like Pat Robertson, they have completly lost their way in the world. Back in the 80's this party was threatened by Robertson who said he was speaking for christians across the country. He was not, he promised good people that if the religous right controled the party our country would change for the better. He didn't keep he promise to anyone, he merely had his own agenda. Today, the party has never recovered from that error of judgement but he did open the door to many extrteme individuals who don't care about the country. Throw in the NRA and you have no one thinking clearly at all and we wonder why the Republicans can't get Democrats out of power.
David,
All the above blather because responsible people don't want to pay for you to have sex.
"Throw in the NRA and you have no one thinking clearly". I'm sure that your Far Left peanut brain makes sense of that statement, but please clarify it for the sake of us, that don't share your secret code.
Dude, you realize that people can have sex without contraceptives, right?
You aren't paying for people to have sex (if anything, having Viagara covered is paying for people to have sex).
What WE'RE doing with this is possibly help limit the number of unwanted births and abortions. Please let me know if you think this is a good idea. Pick your poison bro - you either assist a little in keeping someone from getting pregnant or you assist in dealing with it after they are pregnant? If you don't agree to this, than I suggest you vehemently disagree with Viagara being covered, because that's way more paying for sex than contraceptives ever will be.
I don't consider myself far left or far right, but I'm at least nice enough to not have to resort to name calling, like "peanut brain" or else I'd use it here to describe you not being able to see the big picture while focusing on something that's not even true, like - responsible people don't want to pay for you to have sex.
Sleep,
Dude?
Let me clue you, the irresponsible will continue to have unwanted births and abortions at the same level. All this stupid mandate will do is garner a few more votes for the self annointed King. Take off your rose colored glasses, maybe that will clear things up.
Yup, dude...my dog is sadie and she's always sleepin
I don't wear rose colored glasses - in case you don't see some of the responses here, there are a lot of women commenting.
You can't legislate responsibility and there will always be irresponsible people - but think about it...the irresponsible ones who you say would continue to have unwanted births and abortions wouldn't be taking birth control, so none of the insurance dollars would be going to them anyway, this would actually be helping the responsible people with being responsible.
Have you been this upset about Viagara also? I mean hell, why should I be paying so some other dude can get a damn erection? What's next, do I have to buy his date dinner too or pay for her movie so he can get laid?
I'd much rather support contraceptives.
sleep,
Your unbelievable! "this would actually be helping the responsible people with being responsible"? How, by having someone else pay for it? Typical Far Left doorknob logic.
Try to absorb this: Viagra is a prescribed drug for a physical impairment, over the counter condoms are for personal protection. Big difference, if you apply logic to the equation.
Bro - typical far left? Here's a clue - I'm far nothing bro. I didn't vote for Obama and may not even vote in the next election, as I think the two we'll have to choose from are both ridiculous.
You realize insurance covers a lot of stuff that others bring upon themselves - I'd think that using contraceptives will actually save insurance money in the long run. But hey, if you aren't into the USA saving money, that's your choice.
You realize that some contraceptives help women with a physical impairment, right?
So, now you've gone from - 'I'm paying for you to have sex' as your arguement to - it's not treating a physical impairment. But now when pointed out that for some, this will help with a physical impairment, what will your arguement be?
Sadie,
You seem to be intelligent and putting some thought into your post so I will try to explain the point of the remark made by the congressman.
It is not about birth control, abortion or any specific topic. It is about the abuse of governmental power to force an employer to violate his fundamental beliefs or face fines or prison.
POWER, not birth control. Because if we allow the federal government to do it here, where you actually seem to agree with them, they will do it again later where you don't.
Don't be misled by the smokescreen. It is about government power to take away your free will. Period.
Hello Lee - thanks for the kind comments...
I don't see this as a 'free-will' discussion at all. I see this as a Company/Business/Employer doing business in America and following American law.
How would the government be taking away 'free-will'?
And I'll ask you this about fundamental beliefs - should a Chinese company doing business in America be able to exploit child labor or tell their staff they can only have one child? Should an Islamic business owner be able to tell their staff - you have to pray like this at this time or you can't eat pork?
Why would you say "No" to those questions if you are about the employer's fundamental belief? Either because you believe they don't fit into American law or you don't agree with the fundamental belief. If it's due to the fundamental belief part, well then, you are saying, sure some can follow their fundamental belief, as long as I'm agreeable to it.
I'm not misled nor do I feel I'm in a smokescreen.
But in mentioning 'free-will', what do you think about the government shutting down medical marijuana facilities?
Sleep, didn't Robinson say that Katrina was god's punishment or was that fallwell, same skin and one's dead. Robinson did come recently for legalizing pot, wonder where he got his, could use some.
I think we women have been sold a bill of goods....I just called my insurance company....the one associated with my employer plan to see when my monthly contraceptives would be issued without the mandatory co payment. I was told it wouldn't occur because I have an existing plan and therefore the new requirement that I receive contraception at no co pay wouldn't apply! So how do you like that. All of us women out there who are insured thinking we were going to get a new benefit?....well it's not true. It's only for new policies that women take out. So women, if your company already has an existing prescription drug plan that offers you contraceptive coverage, you won't fall under the category of contraception without a co pay. HaHa...the insurance companies got around that one now didn't they.
laurie,
Welcome to Obama's world of slighted hand. Presto! Nothing there.
I called my insurance company as well. After checking, they said that the benefit will happen at the start of the new plan year. As my insurance plan runs Jan-Dec, this benefit will take effect for me on Jan. 2013. Maybe the rep that you talked to did not fully understand. It took about 20 minutes for me to get an answer from CVS Caremark on my plan benefits. The rep had no clue, they had to check with a pharmacist.
Or maybe she's just making up that story Zannie.
No, they didn't. As I understand it, as Zannie said, they will be required to cover it at the beginning of the new plan year, which varies. Or if they make any substantial change to coverage at any other time. I'm not sure but I assume this was a cost saving measure. Rather than requiring insurance companies to amend and distribute new information to an existing plan they can incorporate the changes with all the other changes at the beginning of the plan year. Makes sense to me.
I just love how Republican men think they know what is best for women in America. I tried to talk directly with Mike Kelly but his office said he was at Chic-fil-A planning a Friday Meeting. Is there something going on at Chic-fil-A on Friday?
Terry,
No one knows what is best for a woman, but that woman. I do know what's best for me, however, and it's not paying for someone elses protection. When I was younger, we were responsible and paid for our own protection, why should that change now, under Obama? Pure and simple? This is all about buying a few votes at the cost of others.
People smoke, eat too much and drink too much, and generally live unhealthy lives. By your logic I shouldn't pay for their treatment, but I do.
It's about preventing unwanted pregnancies, nothing more or less.
GOP has turned it into a religious issue, which it is most certainly not.
Dave: We pay for all kinds of medicine for other people in an insurance plan; high-blood pressure, diabetes , etc. Just because you do not need it doesn't mean others don't. That is why there are insurance plans. Get over yourself.
Dave I don't want to pay for your Viagra, but I do!! Your NOT paying for the birth control, I am!! With the premimums I pay every paycheck. All this says is the insurance company cant RESTRICT my access to birth control. Which what some employers wanted to do. They wanted to dictate what medicines your doctor prescribe for you. I love you small government types who want your employer in the Doc's office with you.
This is the same idiotic reaoning as "Why should I pay for schools when I don't have kids." Because you have to depend on others everyday and they need an education to better serve you!
Mark,
So having sex is a vice? For most, this isn't a religious issue, we just don't want to pay for others to have sex, period.
Zannie,
We should have insurance pay for life impairing health deficiences, but why in the hell should we pay for someone else's protection. I'm sick of you Far Left doorknobs trying to dictate to me, what I should do with my money.
blue,
So you would rather have the government in your doctor's office with you? Good luck with that.
I'm happy to pay taxes for education, when our children are actually GETTING an education. Our system is not just broken, it's destroyed and it needs fixing, desperately. ...but that's another subject.
Dave, it's a medical decision having to do directly with the health of a women (pregnancy is a health issue), and in the case of AIDS related problems, with men as well.
By your logic, people drive cars voluntarily, we shouldn't pay for their health care if they get into an accident.
In other words, you are arbitrarily selecting one human activity (and many would say it is one of the most fundamental human activities) and saying "we won't pay for that even though we pay for everything else". It makes no sense.
dave, contraceptives are used for more than just preventing pregnancy, get your head out of elephant's hind end, i.e., controls endometrial (sp.?) fibroid tumors, tumors on the ovaries, regulates menstrual cycles, controls hormone levels for women that have had hysterectomies, helps control benign cysts in breast tissue, etc. Stop thinking with your major muscles, your loosing oxygen. Ignorance is bliss.
Obama 2012
skyparrot,
You said it all with your last line.
Dude, you realize his last line was...
Obama 2012
Did you just throw your support to Obama?