I have observed and read many entries about the contraception discussion, but unfortunately, there is one aspect of our opposition that has been left unheralded... religious freedom. The one concentric aspect I can find is found in one word: non-sectarian. There is an under-considered position on this belief, and we need an independent voice... one that says the FDA sets the rule.
The many liberals among us who firmly believe in choice will support making ALL choices available to women. If government involvement in health care represents only a few things, one of them must be a woman's right to choose. That choice can only be truly made when all options are available. Corporations who operate under business laws enacted by both the federal government and state governments must be compelled to concede certain restrictions. If they want the freedom to operate in a "free market economy", they must likewise concede certain responsibilities. One of them must be to provide equal service to all medical services.
Now, back to the idea of religious freedom as an opposition to what we (including President Obama) have proposed. I do not want to subject you to a so-called slippery slope object, but this instance provides a good example of one. Bear with me.
If individual business owners are allowed to, on a moral basis, decide what their employees can expect from their health insurance coverage, horrible ramifications could be given credence. Let's suppose I fit one of the following examples:
- A devout Roman Catholic who says that his female employees should not deserve contraception coverage.
- A Jehovah's witness who says that his employees should not deserve blood transfusions.
- An Arminian Protestant who says that his employees should not deserve organ donations.
- A fundamentalist who says that his employees should not deserve HIV/AIDS treatment.
- A Southern Baptist who says that his employees should not deserve treatment for tobacco-induced cancer.
Just how far does this "religious freedom" argument go? Read the, dare I say, broad text of the Blunt Amendment. So I say, liberals, let's expose this "religious freedom" fraud for what it is.