CULTURE WARRIOR ON WRONG SIDE OF BIRTH CONTROL ISSUE
Rich McDermott, my fellow Glen Ellynite, generated so much heat with his long letter bashing all things Obama (Glen Ellyn News, February 9th) that I could barely hold onto the paper; but so little light I could barely read it if I could.
His focus was on the recent Obama Administration decision to require Catholic institutions such as universities, hospitals and charities to provide women with the same access to birth control at no cost as every other such institution, whether religious or secular. Mr. McDermott omitted that the requirement does not apply to churches and related organizations closely tied to a religion's doctrinal mission. Many employers of the former group, which enjoy government funding, hire many non-Catholic as well as Catholic women. These folks should not be denied access to critical reproductive health care services including contraception. That is called taking care of the commons, a concept that Mr. McDermott displays a profound ignorance of when he disparages the Affordable Health Care Act as being "shoved down our throats". The forty million uninsured Americans sure are thankful they're finally swallowing the benefits from that legislation which is finally protecting their health care needs from a heartless private health insurance industry more concerned with billions in profits than a healthy citizenry.
Nor is Mr. McDermott willing to admit that 98%, nearly all, of sexually active Catholic women use contraceptives, and every poll of Catholics, sexually active women or otherwise, shows a majority of Catholics approve of this new ruling. Under Mr. McDermott's logic, a religion which believes that blood transfusions are immoral should have the same right to prohibit their inclusion in covered services.
I suspect that this call to battle against the President over a manufactured "culture war" issue reflects desperation from the lack of substantive issues since Obama has killed Osama bin Laden, ended our senseless and murderous Iraq war and presides over 23 straight months of private sector job growth in an unquestionably improving economy. And all of this has been accomplished in spite of a Republican deadlocked Congress overtly determined to deny him any progress.
As Mr. McDermott prepares to lead his legions into culture war battles against an imagined heathen President, he might want to look around. The paucity of fellow warriors will reflect the belief of most that McDermott's crusade is not just a tempest in a teapot, its more like a tempest in a thimble.
Originally published in the Glen Ellyn News, February 15, 2012
His focus was on the recent Obama Administration decision to require Catholic institutions such as universities, hospitals and charities to provide women with the same access to birth control at no cost as every other such institution, whether religious or secular. Mr. McDermott omitted that the requirement does not apply to churches and related organizations closely tied to a religion's doctrinal mission. Many employers of the former group, which enjoy government funding, hire many non-Catholic as well as Catholic women. These folks should not be denied access to critical reproductive health care services including contraception. That is called taking care of the commons, a concept that Mr. McDermott displays a profound ignorance of when he disparages the Affordable Health Care Act as being "shoved down our throats". The forty million uninsured Americans sure are thankful they're finally swallowing the benefits from that legislation which is finally protecting their health care needs from a heartless private health insurance industry more concerned with billions in profits than a healthy citizenry.
Nor is Mr. McDermott willing to admit that 98%, nearly all, of sexually active Catholic women use contraceptives, and every poll of Catholics, sexually active women or otherwise, shows a majority of Catholics approve of this new ruling. Under Mr. McDermott's logic, a religion which believes that blood transfusions are immoral should have the same right to prohibit their inclusion in covered services.
I suspect that this call to battle against the President over a manufactured "culture war" issue reflects desperation from the lack of substantive issues since Obama has killed Osama bin Laden, ended our senseless and murderous Iraq war and presides over 23 straight months of private sector job growth in an unquestionably improving economy. And all of this has been accomplished in spite of a Republican deadlocked Congress overtly determined to deny him any progress.
As Mr. McDermott prepares to lead his legions into culture war battles against an imagined heathen President, he might want to look around. The paucity of fellow warriors will reflect the belief of most that McDermott's crusade is not just a tempest in a teapot, its more like a tempest in a thimble.
Originally published in the Glen Ellyn News, February 15, 2012
posted by Walt Zlotow at 9:37 PM
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