The Diane Rehm Show

Trampling the first amendment aside, the political left who deliberately made the contraception issue center stage now looks so foolish and immoral for trotting out the likes of some spoiled brat college student who apparently has no control over her sexual desires. Are we to believe women in this country are this depraved. Women like this used to be the exception and they had the appropriate names that went along with their reputations for such behavior, now we are expected to accept this as normal healthy behavior and subsidize it. Contraception is widely available for little or no money, it is disgusting to think I will be forced to pay for unbound sexual depravity in the name of health care. This is exactly why this country is in moral decline, what was not too long ago looked at as bad behavior unbecoming of any decent person is now promoted as just fine by the federal government. Unbelievable!

Actually, 63 percent of Americans said they supported the new federal requirement that private health insurance plans cover the cost of birth control. According to the survey of 1,519 Americans, conducted from Feb. 13 to Feb. 19. The poll had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points. That means at least 60% were for it, but probably more like 66%.

While 8 in 10 Democrats said they supported requiring birth control coverage, only 4 in 10 Republicans did. (there's a surprise eh?) Six in 10 people calling themselves independents voiced approval. Many Americans, in the survey and in independent interviews, expressed impatience with the focus on women’s reproductive issues in an era of economic distress.

Conservatives....you need to find something else to argue about. It appears that the American people have already decided this one and they don't consider young women who use the pill to be "sluts" regardless of what you wing-nuts are hearing from Rush Limbaugh.

Church-affiliated schools, universities, hospitals and charities employ so many spoiled brat college students with no control over their sexual desires that it is not hard to imagine the rampant sexual depravity in these religious institutions enabled by this new law.

I wish we could have a real discussion about this issue of violating First Amendment rights.

I thought the First Amendment was designed to protect INDIVIDUAL rights, ie, I shouldn't be forced to take birth control if practicing my religion forbids me to use it; however, if practicing my religion does not require to me abstain from birth control, then I ought to be able to exercise the same access to it as everyone else. In fact, I thought the First Amendment even protected my right to be BAD at my religion (ie, even though as a Catholic I'm forbidden to use birth control, my church can't force the government to prevent me from doing so).

So why are the republicans fighting for the rights of INSTITUTIONS to impose their religious practices on individuals (ie, restricting access to birth control and other medical services)? This seems to directly contradict the spirit of the First Amendment and establishes state-sponsored enforcement of religious institutional law.

It seems to me that if an institution, or even an individual, wishes to perform services or functions with the same freedoms and protections as other secular corporations, businesses, and institutions, then they should be bound by the same laws as well. If a company wishes to employ outsiders then it should be bound by the same employment laws and provide the same level of health insurance coverage as every other company. It creates an unfair advantage if all the laws don't apply to all the people all the time.

Olympia Snowe was a rino, glad she's gone! Her self serving timing as confirmed on the show illustrates her uselessness as an instrument for change, she was part of the problem. Caving to the left is not what I'm looking for in these times federal government overreach and spending insanity.

Are we really discussing whether health insurance should cover contraception in 2012? This must be the big downside of health insurance tied to employment. I suggest workers stick to non-religious employers to avoid this nonsense altogether.

Did I hear correctly - Rush Limbaugh is accusing someone of being promiscuous? Mr. Suitcase Full of Viagra?

Why ANYONE cares what that repulsive blowhard says is beyond me. The fact that he's still on the air is cause for national embarrassment.

BrianLupiani@yahoo.com

Your panel keeps missing the point. The new regulation secures the reglious liberty of the employee by not allowing the employer to impose their religion on their employees (except for churches themselves)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bruce Beck

Brian Lupiani wrote:
"Did I hear correctly - Rush Limbaugh is accusing someone of being promiscuous? Mr. Suitcase Full of Viagra?

Why ANYONE cares what that repulsive blowhard says is beyond me. The fact that he's still on the air is cause for national embarrassment. "
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Be that as it may, the success of a radio show is dependent on free market competition where ratings decide whether shows remain on air. This was a cruel lesson learned by the defunct Air America.

I don't get the "uproar" over the Montana judge's racism -- yes, Republicans are racist -- duh. This has been the most consistent element of the Republican party since they welcomed the Southern racists into the party in the late '60s after the Democrats turned their backs on them by enacting the civil rights legislation. The interesting thing about this primary is that only Mittens Romney, of all Republicans seeking the nomination, hasn't enthusiastically embraced tradition southern Republican racism. This cost him dearly in South Carolina (the home of southern racism), in Florida where the racist panhandle went massively for Gingrich, and will cost him massively again on super Tuesday in Georgia, Idaho, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Tennessee (luckily for him, the Virginia Republicans barred all the other Republicans except Ron Paul from running there). As has been said, not all Republicans are racists (there must be a few), but if you're a racist, undoubtedly you're a Republican.

Two things regarding birth control for women: (1) no one has mentioned the medical reasons for using birth control, things like heavy bleeding, migraine headaches, etc. For me, being able to use oral birth control to supress my period made such a dramatic impact on the quality of my life. (2) Family planning. I am Roman Catholic and grew up as the only girl and oldest in a family of five. My mother was not able to handle that many kids, she was overwhelmed with three. When the fourth came along it was pure chaos in our household. When she became pregnant with the fifth, she tried to use an abortificent, did that cause his mental retardation, we'll never know. My father finally got a vasectomy. We were all hit growing up but as a teenager I was severely abused by my father.

So, all this policy talk on the immorality of birth control. Why don't these politicians go find a family like mine and live with them for a while to see what it was like, and to understand what are the root causes of child abuse. There are plenty of people who are the product of abuse who don't break the cycle and unwittingly end up reproducing with partners who are equally unable to raise kids. Having lived through what I did and what I must live with now, I am a suicide waiting to happen.

I am personally against abortion and believe that live begins at conception. But I also understand why it must remain legal. I am also a highly-educated Washington public policy person so I know how easy it is to judge and live in the ivory tower. "Lake of Fire," it's a documentary about the politics of abortion, certainly changed my view on why sometimes there is no other option for women. And I am one of those pin-headed bureaucrats.

Rachael van Riper wrote:
I've 'splained this on the board before, but I'll 'splain it again for you, Rachael:
A religious, church (or mosque or synagogue) -sponsored institution, whether a school, hospital, or food bank, represents, in institutional form the tenets of its membership. It's because of them and on behalf of them that the institution deserves protection by the state, based on the first amendment.
Requiring an institution that by writ, proscribes the use of birth control to its membership, as a fundamental part of its religious practice, to distribute and/or pay for bc, violates the "free exercise" clause.

"Considering all the studs at that wild party you're lucky you're not Mr. Ed"
heard on the Diane Rehm Show. I'd assume it was a comment from Andrew Breitbart if he weren't confirmed dead. (And people called Diane prudish!)

Mike,

He's trolling for replies, typical liberal tool.

THX,

How about it?

All that grandmotherly "tsk tsk" -ing, is as funny as all get out.

The rest of your comments are dead on.

The entire democrat media has been working a coordinated effort to help Barry get re-elected.