Marco Rubio jumps into birth control dispute

[floridayankee]

Marco, Marco, Marco....I must say, you're learning to play by the Republican establishment rules well.

How disappointing.

Amid growing rancor between the Catholic hierarchy and the White House, Republican rising star Sen. Marco Rubio is pushing a bill that takes a swipe at the Obama administration’s stance on expanding access to birth control.

The Florida senator, widely considered on the short list for the GOP vice presidential pick, introduced legislation Tuesday that would vastly expand the ability of religious or faith-based employers to opt out of a health reform law requirement that health plans cover all FDA-approved contraceptives without any co-pay.

www.politico.com/news/stories/0112/72209.html

"I think a lot of people don't understand or see that that's a principle that people of Catholic faith are being asked to violate," he said. "So the mandate from the government goes beyond politics. It goes down to the very center of theology, Catholic theology, or teaching about the human person."

But not all Catholics share that view when it comes to birth control. In fact, 98 percent of Catholic women use birth control at some point in their lifetimes. A new survey by Public Policy Polling shows that a narrow majority of Catholic voters think women employed by Catholic hospitals and universities should have access to contraceptive coverage through their health plans.

Among them is Pat Schaffer in Minneapolis, who says Catholic institutions are not being asked to supply birth control themselves, only to include such coverage in health care plans.

"If the employee agrees with them, then they won't use the contraception," she says. "And if the employees in conscience disagree with the bishops, then it's up to the employees what to do, and I don't see how the bishops have the right to force the employee to take a particular stand any more than they have the right to control how an employee uses their wages."

www.npr.org/2012/02/10/146674362/catholics-split-over-obama-contraceptive-order

Senator Rubio: Seriously, is this really a fight you republicans want to take on? In case you forgot, IT'S THE ECONOMY, STUPID! Leave the social engineering crap to the RINO's and do what you were sent to Washing to do....fix the damned economy!

[cme1201]

Marco, Marco, Marco....I must say, you're learning to play by the Republican establishment rules well.

May not be the Republican rules. He was raised as Roman Catholic

[ugonow]

To me, the argument does not make sense unless the object is actually to limit others access to contraceptives. Catholics premiums have always paid for contraceptives and always will unless they self insure. Their premiums do not go into a pot to service their particular policy. They go into a much larger pool that does in fact pay for any thing the company offers coverage on.

[Deleted]

Remember a few debates ago when everyone laughed at stephanopolus cause he kept harping on the birth control issue...?

[floridayankee]

Feb 15, 2012 14:09:10 GMT -5 cme1201 said:

Marco, Marco, Marco....I must say, you're learning to play by the Republican establishment rules well.

May not be the Republican rules. He was raised as Roman Catholic

So was I. My gut tells me an individuals freedom and right to choose trumps my individual personal religious views.

[chiver78]

Feb 15, 2012 15:32:13 GMT -5 floridayankee said:

Feb 15, 2012 14:09:10 GMT -5 cme1201 said:

Marco, Marco, Marco....I must say, you're learning to play by the Republican establishment rules well.

May not be the Republican rules. He was raised as Roman Catholic

So was I. My gut tells me an individuals freedom and right to choose trumps my individual personal religious views.

[ugonow]

Remember a few debates ago when everyone laughed at stephanopolus cause he kept harping on the birth control issue...?

Especially when a presidential candidate said Griswold v Connecticut should be overturned, and comes out with a public quote like this---...."One of the things I will talk about that no President has talked about before is I think the dangers of contraception in this country, the whole sexual libertine idea. Many in the Christian faith have said, “Well, that’s okay. Contraception’s okay.”

It’s not okay because it’s a license to do things in the sexual realm that is counter to how things are supposed to be. They’re supposed to be within marriage, they are supposed to be for purposes that are, yes, conjugal, but also [inaudible], but also procreative. That’s the perfect way that a sexual union should happen. We take any part of that out, we diminish the act. And if you can take one part out that’s not for purposes of procreation, that’s not one of the reasons, then you diminish this very special bond between men and women, so why can’t you take other parts of that out? And all of a sudden, it becomes deconstructed to the point where it’s simply pleasure. And that’s certainly a part of it—and it’s an important part of it, don’t get me wrong—but there’s a lot of things we do for pleasure, and this is special, and it needs to be seen as special.

Again, I know most Presidents don’t talk about those things, and maybe people don’t want us to talk about those things, but I think it’s important that you are who you are. I’m not running for preacher. I’m not running for pastor, but these are important public policy issues. These how profound impact on the health of our society." ...... I think the MSM is being kind to Santorum.

[cme1201]

Feb 15, 2012 15:32:13 GMT -5 floridayankee said:

Feb 15, 2012 14:09:10 GMT -5 cme1201 said:

Marco, Marco, Marco....I must say, you're learning to play by the Republican establishment rules well.

May not be the Republican rules. He was raised as Roman Catholic

So was I. My gut tells me an individuals freedom and right to choose trumps my individual personal religious views.

I agree with you, I also understand how one who was raised under the teachings of the church may feel compelled to help said institution.

[cme1201]

Last October -- when Rick Santorum was trailing badly in the polls -- he sat down with a reporter from an Evangelical blog called Caffeinated Thoughts to discuss, among other things, his views on contraception. It turns out, he’s very much against it, apparently even for married couples, and would reverse any government policies that mandate contraception coverage if he became president

Seems both you and him forget that Congress would have to go along to make this happen.

[floridayankee]

Feb 15, 2012 15:13:14 GMT -5 ugonow said:

To me, the argument does not make sense unless the object is actually to limit others access to contraceptives. Catholics premiums have always paid for contraceptives and always will unless they self insure. Their premiums do not go into a pot to service their particular policy. They go into a much larger pool that does in fact pay for any thing the company offers coverage on.

That's just it....the policy is the one paying for the contraceptives, not the company purchasing the policy. Besides, let people make their own choice. If the individual adheres to the strict interpretation of the teachings of whatever church, they will choose not to use birth control all on their own. The world is full of temptation that would be considered sin. Should the institution protect their employees from all of them or just this one? Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Envy, Pride....not one word about birth control.

It's not Romney or Santorum, or even Gingrich that will hand the white house to the democrats again...it's wasting valuable time on 'important' stuff like this. While they pander to the 'religious right', they lose the moderates independents and libertarian leaning conservatives.

It's time to move on to something more important, republicans....move on.

[ugonow]

May not be the Republican rules. He was raised as Roman Catholic

Me too. Good Catholic family.6 kids and all. Even went to a Catholic school for awhile.

[whoisjohngalt]

Hmmm, if we only had our health insurance independent of our employers and the govt - what a tragedy that would be

Lena

[gavinsnana]

Rubio is a very smart guy. He would be a great President.

You cannot force the Catholic church to change how it teaches. Everyone has the right to how they feel, but if you want the Churches out of Government, then Government needs to stay out the Churches and their rights.

[Deleted]

Churches were ALWAYS exempt. What the churches want now is to have their hospitals and universities, etc. be exempt.

I would also be careful in calling for a complete separation here... truth is, religiously affiliated hospitals and universities benefit from public funds in a whole lot of ways...

[djAdvocate]

Feb 15, 2012 15:32:13 GMT -5 floridayankee said:

Feb 15, 2012 14:09:10 GMT -5 cme1201 said:

Marco, Marco, Marco....I must say, you're learning to play by the Republican establishment rules well.

May not be the Republican rules. He was raised as Roman Catholic

So was I. My gut tells me an individuals freedom and right to choose trumps my individual personal religious views.

libertarianism and catholicism are not exactly a good match.

[beenherebefore]

Doctors write out a prescription, it is dispensed by a pharmacist. Those of us who have 'pharmacy coverage' pay a co- payment. Those of us who don't, go to Planned Parenthood or just pay for the prescription.

It's easy. It works.

This is just more Campaign hysteria, Mr. O, like most politicians, try to gain the most partisian, emotional responses to his 'soundbites' which are obligingly carried across the media.

[Sum Dum Gai]

Doctors write out a prescription, it is dispensed by a pharmacist. Those of us who have 'pharmacy coverage' pay a co- payment. Those of us who don't, go to Planned Parenthood.

It's easy. It works.

Until you have conservative politicians trying to de-fund Planned Parenthood.

[beenherebefore]

Planned Parenthood is a voluntary organization. If some social conservatives/religious organizations want to stop them, they either will fail or succeed. If they fail, Planned Parentood can solicit private donations, if that fails, there will no doubt be another organization that will provide the same or similar services.

It's no big deal.....

[Sum Dum Gai]

Planned Parenthood is a voluntary organization. If some social conservatives/religious organizations want to stop them, they either will fail or succeed.

Huh, interesting. So you see no problem whatsoever with politicians going after individual charity groups to score political points?

Let's try substituting Catholic Institutions for Planned Parenthood and liberals for conservatives and see if you still think it's no big deal:

Catholic Institutions are voluntary organizations. If some social liberals/religious organizations want to stop them, they either will fail or succeed. If they fail, those Catholic institutions can solicit private donations, if that fails, there will no doubt be another organization that will provide the same or similar services.

It's no big deal.....

[beenherebefore]

Nice try at twisting my words.

"Huh, interesting. So you see no problem whatsoever with politicians going after individual charity groups to score political points?"

I deal with reality, the reality is that during campaign seasons, all politicians who want to be re-elected and both national parties do anything and everything they can to 'score political points'.

The best thing to do is to let them know their antics don't work and turn voters off.

[floridayankee]

Feb 15, 2012 16:27:41 GMT -5 gavinsnana said:

Rubio is a very smart guy. He would be a great President.

You cannot force the Catholic church to change how it teaches.

I sort of thought that a major part of being a good Catholic included resisting temptation (aka birth control), not forcing your religious values on others.

Everyone has the right to how they feel, but if you want the Churches out of Government, then Government needs to stay out the Churches and their rights.

Understood, but we're not talking about churches, per se. We're talking about faith-based institutions, for example, St Judes. Should all employees at St. Judes be forced to abide by the old school catholic ideology against the use of BC or should they be allowed to make a free choice about whether they want to use BC or not?

[chiver78]

Feb 15, 2012 17:39:23 GMT -5 Sum Dum Gai said:

Doctors write out a prescription, it is dispensed by a pharmacist. Those of us who have 'pharmacy coverage' pay a co- payment. Those of us who don't, go to Planned Parenthood.

It's easy. It works.

Until you have conservative politicians trying to de-fund Planned Parenthood.

[EVT1]

I guess the far right plans to lose this election for the rest of you- how ever few that remain. Once again amid numerous issues worthy of discussion the dominating news lately is abortion and birth control. Way to get those one issue voters folks- as if they would ever vote any other way. Up next- gun control.