By State Representative, Leon D. Young
Leon D. Young
This week, I feel that I have little choice and must descend into the murky waters of the culture war. The fallout from President Obama’s initial decision requiring Catholic-related institutions (schools, hospitals and universities) to provide contraception coverage to their employees has been well chronicled.
The president, feeling the heat from the Catholic hierocracy and Conservative Right, acquiesced from his original decision and instead offered to let the insurance companies take the lead in providing contraception access for employees affiliated with Catholic organizations. For liberal and moderate Catholics, President Obama’s balanced approach to ensuring that women have access to birth control coverage – while also respecting religious freedom was viewed as a fair and adequate compromise.
Unfortunately, this didn’t end the controversy for those who are diametrically opposed to the notion of reproductive planning. Catholic Bishops and Conservatives continue to rail on the president and insist that this contraception requirement is an attack of their religious autonomy.
Without question, Mr. Obama and his administration erred in their initial calculation and thus created a potential wedge issue in the fall campaign regarding birth control access. However, this particular oversight, in my view, has been adequately addressed with the insurance company compromise.
But, the Far Right will have none of it. U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (R-Missouri) has introduced an amendment that would let any employer deny coverage for any health care treatment to which they claim a religious or moral objection. That means your employer could claim an objection to almost any kind of medical treatment: contraception, HIV treatment, vaccination, substance- abuse counseling, blood transfusions, prenatal care for unmarried women or mental health care, just to mention a few.
The Blunt amendment was proposed to get around the new health care rule that ensures all women have access to contraception coverage, no matter who they work for. Under the guise of “religious freedom,” Republicans are attacking the very idea of comprehensive health insurance and seem to have no qualms about risking the health of millions of women in the process. If left unimpeded, the GOP will be doing irreparable harm, while sending our entire society back to the Dark Ages.