Notre Dame is Suing Obama administration over birth control mandate

Notre Dame Fighting Irish Logo

The War On Women is being reignited, the University of Notre Dame joined six other Protestant and Catholic colleges in suing the Obama administration over its rule that all employers must offer contraception without a copay in their insurance plans.

In its suit, the school says that health care reform's contraception mandate violates its religious freedom and would require it to go against Catholic principles by offering contraception and sterilization to students and faculty in its insurance plan. The university serves 11,500 students of different religious faiths but has always been led by a Catholic priest as president.

In February, the Obama administration announced that religious organizations, such as schools and hospitals, would not be required to offer birth control to its employees, instead, the insurance company would contact women covered by its plan and offer the contraception. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and other religious organizations objected to this, saying that the organizations' premiums would still be helping to pay for the contraception in that scenario. In its suit, the University of Notre Dame says it is self-insured, which means this accommodation would not work for them.

“Let me say very clearly what this lawsuit is not about: it is not about preventing women from having access to contraception, nor even about preventing the Government from providing such services,” said Fr. John Jenkins, president of the University of Notre Dame.

“Many of our faculty, staff and students — both Catholic and non-Catholic — have made conscientious decisions to use contraceptives. As we assert the right to follow our conscience, we respect their right to follow theirs. And we believe that, if the Government wishes to provide such services, means are available that do not compel religious organizations to serve as its agents”

Studies have shown that 98% of Catholic women have used artificial contraception at some time in their lives. A poll by the Public Religion Research Institute in Washington found that 52 percent of Catholic respondents agreed that even religiously affiliated colleges and hospitals should have to provide their employees with health care plans that cover contraception.
I Wonder what the polls say about the boy raping going on?

The Republican Wars Against The People

The Republican party is at war with the people of the United States. Rather than investing in the people that make up this great country, the Republican's are hellbent on preserving the stranglehold the richest Americans have on the rest of us. If we are going to make it out of this economic depression we are going to have to make sacrifices, the Republicans have been on the front lines calling for more and more sacrifice, but they seem to be leaving out a group of American, the 1%.

The Filibusterers

The Republicans in their war on the people have become weapons of mass obstruction. Republicans have filibustered hundreds of pieces of legislation in an attempt to make the Obama administration look incompetent. They truly are the party of "NO".
Just to name a few of the 375:

• H.R. 1262, Water Quality Investment Act
• H.R. 1029 – Alien Smuggling and Terrorism Prevention Act
• H.R. 780 – Student Internet Safety Act
• H.R. 466 – Wounded Veteran Job Security Act
• H.R. 1293 - Disabled Veterans Home Improvement and Structural Alteration Grant Increase Act

The War on the Poor

In an effort to coddle the mega rich in America, Republican led by Speaker of the House John Boehner have been pushing for measure to:

• Cut Healthcare
• Medicare
• CDC
• National institute of health
• Cut Education 
• Cut the IRS
• Cut Job Training
• Trying to eliminate Pell

While leaving ALL Military spending the same. Why would they not touch military spending? Simple, Because of the government contracts that the RICH benefit from.  The republicans want to keep the welfare for the rich at the expense of the poor and downtrodden.
The cuts are even worse in the Paul Ryan Budget. 

The War on Students

 

• Republican senators filibustered the Stop Student Loan Interest Rate Hike Act. college graduates face unemployment rates over 9 percent and the underemployment rate is 19.1 percent with rates for African American and Hispanic graduates much higher. Without jobs, how are we going to pay back our loans?

• Under the Ryan Budget, Students would completely loose the Pell Grant. 

• Since 1978 college tuition has skyrocketed over 900% while, simultaneously, funding for grants continue to be slashed. The result? Students are forced to mortgage their futures with non-dischargeable student loans. Since 1999, student debt has increased by 511%, nearing $1 Trillion.

The War on Women 

 Moveon.org put it best, so this is from them

1) Republicans not only want to reduce women's access to abortion care, they're actually trying to redefine rape. After a major backlash, they promised to stop. But they haven't yet. Shocker.

2) A state legislator in Georgia wants to change the legal term for victims of rape, stalking, and domestic violence to "accuser." But victims of other less gendered crimes, like burglary, would remain "victims."

3) In South Dakota, Republicans proposed a bill that could make it legal to murder a doctor who provides abortion care. (Yep, for real.)

4) Republicans want to cut nearly a billion dollars of food and other aid to low-income pregnant women, mothers, babies, and kids. 

5) In Congress, Republicans have a bill that would let hospitals allow a woman to die rather than perform an abortion necessary to save her life.

6) Maryland Republicans ended all county money for a low-income kids' preschool program. Why? No need, they said. Women should really be home with the kids, not out working.

7) And at the federal level, Republicans want to cut that same program, Head Start, by $1 billion. That means over 200,000 kids could lose their spots in preschool.

8) Two-thirds of the elderly poor are women, and Republicans are taking aim at them too. A spending bill would cut funding for employment services, meals, and housing for senior citizens.

9) Congress just voted for a Republican amendment to cut all federal funding from Planned Parenthood health centers, one of the most trusted providers of basic health care and family planning in our country.

10) And if that wasn't enough, Republicans are pushing to eliminate all funds for the only federal family planning program. (For humans. But Republican Dan Burton has a bill to provide contraception for wild horses. You can't make this stuff up).