Paul Revere by Cyrus Dallin, North End, Boston

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Wednesday, February 15, 2012

CATHOLICS, AND ESPECIALLY CATHOLIC WOMEN, SUPPORT MR. OBAMA ON CONTRACEPTION ISSUE

Last week, I watched the PBS News Hour and heard Mark Shields gravely state that Mr. Obama had made a catastrophic mistake over the contraception and insurance coverage/Catholic Church issue.

I've watched other political pundits and prelates [all male, BTW]  solemnly nod their snowy white heads in unison and predict that this would be Mr. Obama's "Waterloo."

Maybe it's because they're blinded by their chromosomes, or perhaps they've spent too much time listening to other snowy-headed conservative men speak on women's issues, and that made them blind to reality.  And the reality is that women, particularly Catholic women, are on President Obama's side--by large margins--on this issue.

I think President Obama knew exactly what the thinking is out there in Reality Land, and I believe he handled this issue very, very well:

Catholic Voters Break With Church Over Contraception Coverage | 

Catholic voters are breaking with the Church’s opposition to insurance coverage of contraception, the latest New York Times/CBS News poll finds. Sixty-five percent of voters — including a majority of Catholics — “said they supported the Obama administration’s requirement that health insurance plans cover the cost of birth control, and 59 percent, said the health insurance plans of religiously affiliated employers should cover the cost of birth control.” A Public Policy Polling survey conducted on Friday similarly found that 57 percent of Catholic voters — and 59 percent of Catholic women — support the requirement. Under the administration’s policy, “women who work for institutions like Catholic hospitals and universities can obtain birth control from their insurance company without a co-pay, but their employers don’t have to include contraception in their healthcare plans.”

From Andrew Sullivan's blog Daily Dish:

Obama’s greatest skill is in getting his opponents to overreach and self-destruct. And this issue could not be more tailor-made to benefit the candidate with real potential pull with far-right-wing Catholics and evangelicals: Santorum. If the GOP really makes this issue central in the next month or so, Santorum (whose campaign claims to have raised $2.2 million in the two days following his victories last week) is by far the likeliest candidate to benefit. It could finally unite the Christian fundamentalist right behind him—especially since Romneycare contained exactly the same provisions on contraception that Obamacare did before last week’s compromise was announced. That’s right: Romneycare can now accurately be portrayed as falling to the left of Obamacare on the contraception issue. This could very well be the issue that finally galvanizes the religious right, especially in the South. Imagine how Santorum could use that on Super Tuesday. In fact, it could be the issue that wins him the nomination. And do you really think that would hurt Obama in the fall?
Here's the critical passage from Santorum:
"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." --Rick Santorum

14 comments:

Infidel753 said...

That Santorum image you have at the top says it all about this one.

Snowy white-haired relics of a bygone era -- not unlike the doddering celibates who make up the Church hierarchy itself. Few educated Catholics paid much attention to the pronouncements of the latter, even before they blew their own moral credibility to smithereens with the mass child-molestation cover-up.

Anonymous said...

"....And the reality is that women, particularly Catholic women, are on President Obama's side--by large margins--on this issue....."

On his side?
I reckon they would also strive to be on his lap too if they could arrange it. Especially those 'Conservative' women, the filthy strumpets.

billy pilgrim said...

i wish ahmadinejad would quit ragging on israel and turn his focus to the vatican. i don't know the statistics but the crusades probably killed more muslims than israel.

Anonymous said...

The Papist Crusaders actually killed more Jews, Byzantine Eastern Orthodox Christians and other non-Papist Christians than Muslims.

Papists ain't too bright.

Of the eight crusades, the Papists won one, tied one and lost five. The remaining Fourth Crusade never even made it to the so-called 'Holy Land' - the Byzantines suffered with this one.

Saladin, the Muslim captor of Jerusalem during the Third Crusade, is the only person to look good through these Crusades.

Anonymous said...

Oh, and Billy?
Say hello to the Tralfamadorians for me.

okjimm said...

so....I'm guessing Ricky would suggest that neutering dogs would be immoral.... hey, dogs might want to do what dogs do.... and we cannot let that Happen. Not in 'God's Plan' nope nope nope.

Shaw Kenawe said...

Infidel753, Garry Wills, a writer and excoriating critic of the Vatican, has a good article covering this issue in the New York Review of Books.

ALtC, you're becoming a nuisance. Please go back to Jo Joe Politico and annoy him. Thanks.

billy,

Ah yes, the Vatican, where a bunch of old men, wearing red beanies and lace pinafores, take it upon themselves to tell women what to do with their lady parts.

okjimm,

It's becoming apparent that Little Ricky is against anything that makes living enjoyable.

billy pilgrim said...

shaw, have you seen this?

SANTORUM CORRPUT

Shaw Kenawe said...

billy, thanks for that link. I had read that Santorum made that special list of corrupt senators. I also know that he was involved in tipping off ex-Senator John Ensign on his scandal.

The santorum is about to hit the fan.

Infidel753 said...

Okjimm: hey, dogs might want to do what dogs do.... and we cannot let that Happen. Not in 'God's Plan' nope nope nope.

Sounds like "dog's plan" is preferable to "God's plan".

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Anonymous said...

A devout Catholic follows the teachings of the Catholic Church and knows the Church's position on contraception and abortion. This includes Catholic women and a true Catholic strong in his/her beliefs will follow his/her conscience on this issue.

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