Opinion Exchange

Under pressure from the Catholic Church and others, President Obama has abandoned the part of his health care law that requires religious institutions (hospitals, universities, etc.) to pay for contraception, saying insurance would cover the costs instead. But the controversy continues to play out on Twitter, Facebook and TV, in the news and in the halls of Congress.

From LoHud.com:

“Complaining about the extremely low cost associated with contraception is the very definition of ‘penny wise, pound foolish.’”
— Lawrence Deneault

“All of this over birth control? … There are so many more important issues! If it was birth control for men, I’m sure there would be less ‘controversy.’”
— Jenn Sith

“It has to do with moral conscience. President Obama wants to force all Catholic and all Christian hospitals, schools, doctors, etc., to have insurance to pay for employees’ birth control, abortions, etc. This goes against our moral religious liberty/freedom, which America is based on.”
— Donna Morris Crist

Before leaving for Rome, where he was elevated to cardinal on Saturday, Timothy Dolan vowed Feb. 14 to fight against Obama’s birth control deal.

“Initially, Dolan had termed Obama’s compromise as ‘a first step in the right direction’ after hearing about it Friday morning,” wrote Nicole Winfield of The Associated Press. “But later that day, Dolan’s USCCB (U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops) issued a statement rejecting it, saying the arrangement was unacceptable and raised ‘serious moral concerns.’”

From LoHud.com:

“Dolan can preach to his fellow Catholics all he wants about not using birth control. He cannot deprive non-Catholics access. If he has a problem then he can get out of the university and hospital business or only provide services to Catholics. I think the overstepping is on his part, not the President’s.”
— Daphne Philipson

“To Cardinal Tim: We love our church, but please keep your hands off my wife’s uterus. If God has a problem with her actions in this life, he’ll be sure to take it up with her at some point in the next one. Thank you.”
— Richard Einstein Davis

“Thank you Archbishop Dolan I an so tired of the abuse the Catholic Church takes on so many levels….it is about time we (Catholics) got our voice and stand up for our rights as people and Catholics.”
— John Giordano

“The issue is religious freedom!! Not contraception!”
— Paul Boscia

Evangelicals joined Catholics in the fight, signing a letter to Obama asking him to change his policy.

“This is not a Catholic issue,” said Tony Perkins, president of the nonprofit lobbyist Family Research Council, at the National Religious Broadcasters convention. “We will not tolerate any denomination having their religious freedom impinged upon by the government.”
U.S. Rep. Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., voiced her support for Obama’s decision in a Community View op ed for The Journal News, published Feb. 11.

“Hundreds of thousands of American women are employed by hospitals, colleges, or nonprofit organizations affiliated in some way with a religious institution,” Lowey wrote. “Many of these women practice a different religion than the affiliation of their employer, and many are not religious at all.
“Women employed by these institutions deserve comprehensive health insurance as much as those who work for the federal government, a corporation, or any other employer. Whether that coverage is financed by the employer or insurer, what is most important is full access.”

Her commentary inspired many letters to the editor, which were printed in The Journal News:

“U.S. Rep. Nita Lowey, D-Harrison, and President Barack Obama seem to think that contraception is more important than the foundational freedom of conscience. This is mind-boggling and frightening,” Nancy Young of White Plains wrote.

“How sad that pregnancy is viewed by some as a disease that apparently needs to be eradicated, and that so many in America have been manipulated to believe that birth control is a medical necessity,” John W. Farrell of Yonkers wrote.

And those letters inspired more comments on LoHud.com:

“Wow I’m so tired of MEN deciding what I should do with my body. … As for Viagra and Cialis, what a joke. Make more drugs so men can have more sex, have insurance pay for it and then tell women they can’t prevent pregnancy. Think women will put up with this in the 21st century? Hah!” Patricia Nicolais

This week, Rush Limbaugh laughed at the suggestion that this issue will create a new voting bloc — “birth control moms” replacing the soccer moms of previous elections.

ARGH! RT @JessicaValenti: Rush Limbaugh: “A birth control mom? How do you become a mom if you’re into birth control?” politi.co/xdEmVa

— Rebecca Eisenberg (@ryeisenberg) February 21, 2012

Congress convened an all-male panel of witnesses on the birth control issue:

Jon Stewart rips Congress’ all-male birth control panel huff.to/w3zq5d

— HuffPostComedy (@HuffPostComedy) February 21, 2012

Where are the women at the @GOPoversight hearing? How can Congress hold a hearing about birth control and not let women speak?

— Cecile Richards (@CecileRichards) February 16, 2012

Women’s voices must be heard in discussion about birth control owl.li/9cf9i #USA #women

— AmnestyInternational (@amnesty) February 21, 2012

Our Opinion Exchange poll found more people (58 percent) believe religious employers should not be required to offer benefits or services that conflict with their core teachings. Cast your vote.

The birth control rule is in effect, but officials told USA Today’s The Oval blog that objecting religious institutions will have until August 2013 to “work out details.”

Was Obama right in the first place? Should birth control be covered by religious institutions as well as other employers? Continue the debate in the comments below.

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