Mandated Birth Control - Big Religious War

Another recent hot topic is mandating birth control for all insurance plans.  I read a political blog from National Review by James C. Capretta on this issue.  The blog is a little long, 2 pages, but is a good read and I recommend it for people who want to stay in the know.

The issue is the Obama administration wants to mandate that all insurance policies issued by employers have to have a provision for free birth control for women.  The controversy is making religious institutions adhere to the mandate.  Many believe it's against the U.S. Constitution, although the constitutionality of the proposed mandate has not been determined.  You can read more on that here.

James Capretta (James) was commenting on a column in the Washington Post by E.J. Dionne.  The column in the Washington Post says the Obama administration's proposed compromise on this issue should end the "Big Religious War."

James agrees there is a "Big Religious War" but that the proposed compromise by the Obama administration will not end it.  James goes on to thoroughly discuss the downside of the proposed compromise.  He goes into detail about about the whole issue and points out the proposed compromise is not an olive branch; it's just another way that will not allow religious institutions, that offer insurance, "to dissent from the prevailing secularism of the day."  He makes a very compelling argument backed by facts. 

One of the highlights is his statement, "Never mind that access to free and low-cost contraception has been the norm in the United States for years."  He goes on to remind everyone of the subsidies already in place from the Federal government to offer free and low-cost contraception.

I would say the information presented and James are creditable.  It appears he really did his homework and wasn't just speaking off-the-cuff.  It is noted at the end of his blog he is a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center; he was also an Associate Director at the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) from 2001 to 2004, where he had responsibility for health care, Social Security, education, and welfare programs; and he currently at the American Enterprise Institute, he will be researching how to replace the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (best known as Obamacare) with a less expensive reform plan to provide effective and secure health insurance for working-age Americans and their families.. 

This whole blog caught my attention and I agree totally with James' viewpoints.  In my opinion, this is just another way for the government to try and take more control of our lives.  This issue has been in debate since last year.  It will be interesting to continue to follow it and see what happens.  I personally hope this mandate does not happen because in my viewpoint it will infringe upon religious beliefs.