What We're Reading This Morning -- March 16
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Good morning everyone and happy Friday! There’s a lot going on this morning, so we’ll skip straight to the clips….
The Catholic Bishops will spend millions to fight comprehensive birth control access. “Catholic Bishops: Birth Control Is 'Ubiquitous And Inexpensive'” – “As part of their intensely focused effort to repeal the Obama administration's new contraception coverage policy, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops released a manifesto of sorts on Wednesday, in which they assert that birth control is ‘ubiquitous and inexpensive.’ ‘We wish to clarify what this debate is -- and is not -- about,’ the bishops said in the statement. ‘This is not about access to contraception, which is ubiquitous and inexpensive, even when it is not provided by the Church's hand and with the Church's funds.’ What the debate is about, according to the statement, is the ‘unjust and illegal’ mandate that ‘would force virtually all private health plans nationwide to provide coverage of sterilization and contraception -- including abortifacient drugs.’"
Is the GOP worried about the women’s vote? The New York Times reports: “House G.O.P. Hesitates on Birth Control Fight” – “House Republicans, unsure how to proceed, have slowed their efforts to overturn a federal rule requiring employers, including religious institutions, to provide female employees with free health insurance coverage for contraceptives. While most House Republicans still support legislation to broaden the exemption for religious employers, House Republican leaders are carefully reviewing their options on the issue, which Democrats used to political advantage in the Senate. The goal of House Republicans has not changed, they said, but they worry about further alienating women in this year’s elections.”
Perry cuts off more than 130,000 women from health care, and then plays the victim card. “Dave McNeely: Perry back to blaming federal government”--“Well, there he goes again. Texas Gov. Rick Perry, after rejecting federal guidelines for Texas receiving 9-to-1 federal-state matching funds for women's reproductive health, blames Washington for Texas's $35 million loss. The losers are poor Texas women, plus the rest of us. Not only will it cost us more in the short run, it will cost us more in the long run, as more unwanted pregnancies, and abortions, are the result. Perry and the Republican-controlled Texas Legislature want to de-fund Planned Parenthood, aimed at stamping out abortions, even though state and federal laws already prohibit spending tax dollars on abortions.”
