Dr. Boozman's Check-up
Senate Introduces Bill to Require White House to Respect Religious Views on Birth Control
Feb 02 2012
The Obama administration is at it again. With its latest overreaching mandate, the President is now demanding that many religious institutions—including church-run hospitals and universities—provide contraception in employee health plans even if they are opposed by the church.
There is a story in today’s edition of Politico on what led President Obama to this decision.
The key takeaway:
“The handling of the issue offers a hint of Obama’s approach to governing and campaigning in 2012: When confronted with a position close to his heart — and dear to the base — Obama is increasingly inclined to side with people who will vote for him even if it means enraging those who might, but probably won’t, vote for him.” [Emphasis added]
The problem with governing in this manner is obvious. Violating the religious liberties and conscience rights of faith-based institutions to appease your base is not leading by the values by which our country was established. Instead, it’s yet another instance where President Obama has shown that his top concern in an election year is protecting his own job.
In an effort to fight this overreach, I cosponsored the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 2012, a bill to repeal this violation of religious liberties. Forcing religious employers to furnish birth control, even when that runs counter to their beliefs, is a blatant infringement on First Amendment rights. This commonsense bill would protect religious organizations from being forced to compromise their beliefs at the whim of the Obama administration and exempt them from this mandate.
The seemingly endless number of regulations this administration has handed down on the American people needs to end. Let’s force the President to govern in a manner that respects the values of the American people, not just his base. Passing this bill and restoring respect for religious liberties is a good place to start.