Birth-Control Hearing Was ‘Like Stepping Into a Time Machine’

[csziggy]

49. Oh, they did allow two female religious persons to speak - later

But only once the optics of the all male panel got a lot of press.

The Democrats handled this badly and still are. The Democrats are allowing this to be framed by the Republicans as a religious freedom issue when it is a women's health care issue.

But if the Republicans want to hash it out as a religious issue, then I think the point that not everyone believes this narrow, medieval view of contraceptive use. That a religious organization should not be able to dictate to employees working in a secular organization peripherally associated with that religion what they can get for healthcare. That not all "contraceptives" are used for the purpose of contraception - many times they are necessary for other reasons - such as the case the young law student was prepared to testify about.

Of course, since the Republicans control the House, those arguments will not be made there, but the Democrats are not doing a good job of making them to the media. Or the media is not allowing them to make it - they'd rather do all day coverage of the death of a diva instead of an issue that could cause the deaths of thousands of women.

I really wish the Democrats would stop letting the Republicans blindside them this way. We all know what the game is but the Democrats are like Charlie Brown with the football.

We should have had liberal female clergy ready to testify to how this was not against THEIR religion and how it would affect women's healthcare if the views of a very few are allowed to dictate the lives of all. I'm sure the Democratic members of the House could have found some women qualified and eager to make that case. But the men who are supposed to be on our side sat there mute while the women could only walk out and boycott the hearings.

Pathetic!