Things We Learn

Things we learn from the Senate Democrats' effort to "undermine the Supreme Court's Hobby Lobby decision", as the Wall Street Journal puts it July 17th, with a bill "designed to restore employers' responsibility to provide contraception coverage under the Affordable Care Act," which was defeated 56-43 on a procedural vote the day before:

1. Besides Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Susan Collins (Maine), we must now add the name of Mark Kirk (Illinois) to extreme Left-leaning Republican senators—all three voted with the Democrats on the measure;
2. Given Hobby Lobby itself was not arguing against coverage of some 16 types of contraceptives, murdering the innocent unborn (abortion) must be viewed as a contraceptive;
3. The appeal is only to women's needs (and votes), so men bear no biological or economic responsibility for offspring;
4. Employers must be mandated to "support women's access to contraception", when women have "access" to contraceptive approaches at all times now;
5. Interfering with reproduction is a health issue that must be covered by health insurance.
6. In the blink of an eye, health care has become a right which nobody can deny.

Calling their bill the "Not My Boss's Business Act", the Democrat view is best summed up by Sen. Patty Murray from Washington: "Women should call the shots when it comes to their health care decision. Not their boss. Not their government."

Women always did "call the shots", until the Affordable Care Act was passed (without a single Republican vote) and put health care in the hands of the Federal government.

SEE: "Democrats Fail Effort to Negate Hobby Lobby Ruling" by Kristina Peterson, Wall Street Journal; July 17, 2014.