Paul Ryan Mocks
'War On Women' At Private Fundraiser
At a private fundraiser in
Naples, Fla., on Thursday, Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan
mocked the so-called "war on women."
"Now it's a war on women;
tomorrow it's going to be a war on left-handed Irishmen or something like
that," Ryan told the crowd of donors,
according to Shushanna Walshe of ABC News.
Democrats began using the
"war on women" rhetoric in late 2011 to describe an
unprecedented legislative focus by Republican lawmakers during the
last two years on limiting women's access to abortion and contraception. Ryan
has cast 60 votes on abortion and reproductive rights issues during his time in
the House of Representatives, and
all of them were deemed "anti-choice" by women's health advocates.
In addition to passing or
proposing laws that would limit abortion rights, mandate ultrasounds, allow
employers to deny women birth control coverage and defund Planned Parenthood,
Republicans have repeatedly come under fire during the past several months for
making inflammatory comments about women's health. Conservative radio host Rush
Limbaugh called Georgetown law student Sandra Fluke a "slut" for
advocating for contraception coverage, Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.) said victims of
"
legitimate rape" rarely get pregnant, and
Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.) said on Thursday that there should be no abortion
exception for the "life of the mother" because "with modern
technology and science, you can't find one instance" in which a woman
would actually die from a pregnancy.
Rich Beeson, political director
for Mitt Romney's campaign, echoed Ryan's sentiment in an interview with ABC7
News on Thursday, calling women's reproductive rights and equal pay "small
things" that are not important to voters.
"Barack Obama four years
ago said, 'If you don't have something to talk about on the issues you talk
about the small things,'" Beeson said in response to a question about
women's issues. "And that's what we're seeing from the Obama campaign ...
They don't have an issue to run on, they don’t have an agenda for the next
term, so they want to talk about the small things and distract America from the
important things of restoring and strengthening the middle class and putting
America back to
By Amy Gehrt,
GateHouse News Service
October 16. 2012
11:01AM
Amy Gehrt: Veep
debate reveals hints of GOP ‘War on Women’
Vice President Joe Biden and Republican Rep.
Paul Ryan squared off on a variety of domestic and foreign policy issues during
last week’s debate, from clashes over the economy and taxes to the wars in Iraq
and Afghanistan. But it was an exchange over a war of a different sort — the
GOP’s “War on Women” — that perhaps may have swayed undecided voters the most. Near
the end of the debate, moderator Martha Raddatz broached the topic of abortion,
framed in the context of each man’s Catholic faith and personal beliefs. Ryan
was first to respond, saying, “I don’t see how a person can separate their
public life from their private life or from their faith.”
He then channeled running mate Mitt Romney and
did a little acrobatic flip-flopping, saying “the policy of a Romney
administration will be to oppose abortions with the exceptions for rape, incest
and life of the mother” rather than stating his own, far more draconian,
beliefs regarding abortion, before veering into a rant against Obamacare —
couched, of course, in the guise of an “assault” on Americans’ religious
freedom.
“Look at what they’re doing through ‘Obamacare’ with respect to assaulting the
religious liberties of this country. They’re infringing upon our first freedom,
the freedom of religion, by infringing on Catholic charities, Catholic
churches, Catholic hospitals. ... And with respect to abortion, the Democratic
Party used to say they wanted it to be safe, legal and rare. Now they support
it without restriction and with taxpayer funding.”
Putting aside the fact that Ryan’s opening
salvo in the abortion discussion seems to essentially be an admission that he
can’t separate his personal religious beliefs from his obligations as an
elected public official — a clear violation of the right to separation of
church and state that is guaranteed under the First Amendment, the very same
amendment Ryan cites — Ryan also had his so-called facts wrong. Again.
So let’s clear a few things up for the fact-challenged. First, a ban on federal
funding of abortion has been on the books since Congress passed the Hyde
Amendment in 1976. The only exceptions are for victims of rape or incest, or to
save the life of a mother. That ban was reaffirmed by an executive order signed
by President Barack Obama in 2010, by the way.
And, as Biden
himself pointed out in his response, “Let me make it absolutely clear: no
religious institution, Catholic or otherwise, including Catholic Social
Services, Georgetown Hospital, Mercy Hospital, any hospital, none has to either
refer contraception, none has to pay for contraception, none has to be a vehicle
to get contraception in any insurance policy they provide. That is a fact.”
The vice
president also spoke of his personal viewpoint on conception, formed through
church teachings, while offering support for other Americans’ right to choose
for themselves.
“Life begins
at conception in the church’s judgment. I accept it in my personal life. But I
refuse to impose it on equally devout Christians and Muslims and Jews, and I
just refuse to impose that on others, unlike my friend here, the congressman. I
do not believe that we have a right to tell other people that women, they can’t
control their body. It’s a decision between them and their doctor. In my view
and the Supreme Court, I’m not going to interfere with that.”
It seems
pretty clear who really respects Americans’ right to religious freedom, and who
is merely giving it lip service, doesn’t it?
It isn’t just
about religious freedom, either. The legality of abortion itself could be on
the line. A Romney/Ryan ticket is widely believed to pose a threat to the U.S.
Supreme Court’s landmark Roe v. Wade ruling — something Ryan himself obliquely
referred to during the debate, saying “We don’t think that unelected judges
should make this decision.”
With four
justices in their 70s, as Biden noted, “the next president will get one or two
Supreme Court nominees. That’s how close Roe v. Wade is.”
Whomever wins
the White House will hold the fate of a host of other women’s issues in his
hands, too. In the past two years alone, there have been nearly 2,000
anti-choice provisions introduced in legislation. Among other things,
Republican lawmakers have attempted to redefine rape, supported a bill that
would let hospitals watch a woman die rather than perform a needed abortion and
tried to take away all federal funding for Planned Parenthood. South Dakota GOP
members even attempted to make it legal to murder doctors who provide abortion
care. Even the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act has been
stalled in Congress — all because protection was expanded to include gays and
American Indians.
Voters are being faced with an important choice this election cycle, and the
outcome could very well change the course of history. So before you cast your
ballot, ask yourself this question: Do you want to go back to the ’50s-era
social policies of the past, or do you want a future where all Americans —
regardless of gender, race, religion or sexual orientation — will truly be
treated equally?
How quaint – columnist Kathleen Parker argued
that female voters are not some monolithic group who swallow the “war on women”
nonsense, but are more concerned about their families and jobs in this election
cycle (Oct. 12 Opinion).
There is most definitely a war on women in
America. The most crucial battle is being waged against reproductive rights.
This battle takes center stage because everyone understands that if a woman
cannot control the number of pregnancies in her life it affects her ability to
move back into the job force, find affordable and quality day care, continue
her education and achieve financial security.
Republicans and the Mitt Romney-Paul Ryan
ticket are united in their desire to deny women this freedom with such measures
as eliminating access to contraceptives and defunding Planned Parenthood. In
state legislatures across the nation and Congress, the Republican Party has
proposed a record number of anti-abortion measures while supporting misogynist
candidates like Rep. Todd Akin, R-Mo., who believes women have a biological
fail-safe button to shut down a “legitimate rape.”
The war on women includes such outrageous laws
as forcing women to endure invasive vaginal probes to giving birth to a
rapist’s child. And what female voter could possibly ignore Republican
politicians who sanctimoniously impose their religious beliefs on women’s
reproductive health care?
Other important bills that would protect women
have been blocked by conservatives. The tea party Republicans in the House
thwarted the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, while the
Paycheck Fairness Act was not even allowed to come up for a vote. This act
would stop employers from the discriminatory practice of paying women less and
hiding this fact by prohibiting employees from discussing their salaries.
Conservatives like to crow how America is the
light bearer
Republicans and the Mitt Romney-Paul Ryan
ticket are united in their desire to deny women this freedom with such measures
as eliminating access to contraceptives and defunding Planned Parenthood. In
state legislatures across the nation and Congress, the Republican Party has
proposed a record number of anti-abortion measures while supporting misogynist
candidates like Rep. Todd Akin, R-Mo., who believes women have a biological
fail-safe button to shut down a “legitimate rape.”
The war on women includes such outrageous laws
as forcing women to endure invasive vaginal probes to giving birth to a
rapist’s child. And what female voter could possibly ignore Republican
politicians who sanctimoniously impose their religious beliefs on women’s reproductive
health care?
Other important bills that would protect women
have been blocked by conservatives. The tea party Republicans in the House
thwarted the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, while the
Paycheck Fairness Act was not even allowed to come up for a vote. This act
would stop employers from the discriminatory practice of paying women less and
hiding this fact by prohibiting employees from discussing their salaries.
Conservatives like to crow how America is the
light bearer for equality and freedom around the world. The war on women is the
ugly underside of American politics, and it cannot be covered up with Parker’s
claim that women care more about jobs. There are far, far more important things
in life than a paycheck. As Margaret Sanger stated so eloquently: “No woman can
call herself free until she can choose consciously whether she will or will not
be a mother.”
Female voters are determined to defeat any
candidate who stands against a woman’s most fundamental right – the right to
determine her own well-being.
Amy Gehrt may
be reached at agehrt@pekintimes.com. The views expressed in this column are not
necessarily those of the newspaper.
Vickie Sandell Stangl of Andover
is president of the Wichita chapter of the National Organization for Women.
Read more here:
http://www.kansas.com/2012/10/19/2537263/vickie-sandell-stangl-war-on-women.html#storylink=cpy
By
Donald P. Condit
Texas
Insider Report: AUSTIN, Texas – The
Catholic Bishops threw
a quick yellow flag at Vice President Joe Biden after his
debate with Cong. Paul Ryan.
Biden’s run-in with the Catholic
Bishops over the
“facts” of Obamacare once again revives the important question of how voters
sort out the “non-negotiable” matters of conscience against political and
policy issues.
The vice
president
falsely described the U.S. Department of
Health & Human Services (HHS)
mandate,
which forces employers to pay for abortion causing drugs, sterilization, and
contraceptives,
this way:
“With
regard to the assault on the Catholic church, let me make it absolutely clear,
no religious institution, Catholic or otherwise, including Catholic Social
Services, Georgetown Hospital, Mercy Hospital, any hospital, none has to either
refer contraception, none has to pay or contraception, none has to be a vehicle
to get contraception in any insurance policy they provide.
“That
is a fact.”
The bishops
pointed out that Biden was not, in fact, dealing with the facts.
In their statement,
issued by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, they said that the HHS
mandate contains a narrow, 4-part exemption for certain religious employers
which was made final in February but does not extend to “Catholic Social
Services, Georgetown Hospital, Mercy Hospital, any hospital” or any other
religious charity that offers its services to all, regardless of the faith of
those served.
The statement
continued, demolishing Biden’s blatant attempt at disinformation:
HHS
has proposed an additional “accommodation” for religious organizations like
these, which HHS itself describes as “non-exempt.” That proposal does not even
potentially relieve these organizations from the obligation “to pay for
contraception” and” to be a vehicle to get contraception.”
They
will have to serve as a vehicle, because they will still be forced to provide
their employees with health coverage, and that coverage will still have to
include sterilization, contraception, and abortifacients.
They
will have to pay for these things, because the premiums that the organizations
(and their employees) are required to pay will still be applied, along with
other funds, to cover the cost of these drugs and surgeries.
Kyle Duncan,
general counsel of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, similarly
corrected the vice president in observing that
Biden’s “facts” are exactly the reverse.
“Under
the mandate, nearly every Catholic hospital, charity, university, and diocese
in the United States — along with millions of institutions of other faiths —
must refer for, must pay for, and must act as a vehicle for contraception,
sterilization, and abortion-inducing drugs,” Duncan said.
“If
they do not, they face millions in fines. That is a fact. “
In the
debate, Congressman Ryan’s
thoughtful question — “why would they (faith based
institutions and employers) keep suing you?” — was overshadowed by Biden’s
disrespectful theatrics.
As a further,
and actual, matter of fact,
more
than 100 plaintiffs are
suing the Obama administration to protect their First Amendment rights of
freedom of religion. On Oct. 12, thirteen states and The Catholic University of
America, The Catholic Archbishop of Washington, D.C., and Catholic Charities of
the Archdiocese of Washington filed a brief in support of Wheaton College and
Belmont Abbey College challenges to the HHS mandate.
For many on
the Catholic left, the confusion of “non-negotiables” in Church teaching with
matters of prudential judgment has become all too common. Ryan’s own bishop,
the Most Rev. Robert C. Morlino,
addressed
the subject in the
diocesan paper for Madison, Wis. The church, Morlino wrote, regards abortion as
an “intrinsic evil” (meaning always and everywhere wrong, regardless of
circumstances).
In sharp
contrast, Morlino said, on issues such as how best to create jobs or help the
poor,
“there can be
difference according to how best to follow the principles which the church
offers.”
John Kennedy,
president and chief executive officer of Autocam and Autocam Medical in Grand
Rapids, Mich., understands the difference. He has courageously
filed
a suit in federal
court against the mandate. His firm, which employs around 700 people in the
United States, would face nearly $25 million per year in penalties for
non-compliance without judicial relief if he failed to comply.
“This law
requires me to violate my beliefs by paying for controversial products that
cause abortions, and it does nothing to improve access or eliminate cost for
essential medications like insulin and heart medication,” Kennedy said.
The Obamacare
mandate would have a devastating effect on some of the biggest charitable
groups helping the poor and the sick. For example, Catholic Charities West
Michigan in 2009 served 26,000 individuals and families — 80 percent of whom
were non-Catholic. Penalties for non-compliance would likely result in
the loss of 300
professionals and 3,000 volunteers serving thousands in the
11-county Diocese of Grand Rapids.
Saint
Mary’s Health Care has
served patients and families in western Michigan since 1893. This 2,500
employee and 344-bed acute hospital and associated care facilities would
similarly face insurmountable financial penalties with subsequent irreplaceable
loss of community service with fines of $100 per employee per day.
Considering
the extent of benefits and services these employers, health care entities, and
charities provide to women and children promptly discredits any objection to
the HHS mandate as a
“war-on-women” over birth control pills costing under
$10 per month.
We should
hope that other federal judges follow the example of Colorado U.S. District
Judge John L. Kane Jr, who in July granted injunctive relief for the Newland
family’s business, Hercules Industries. This 265-employee manufacturer of HVAC
equipment
sued the federal government “to protect its
right to administer its self-insured employee plan for its 265 full-time
employees in a way that comports with the family’s religious faith.”
Founding Father
John Adams, if he were around today,
might remind Vice President Joe Biden that “facts
are stubborn things.”
Dr.
Donald P. Condit, MD, MBA is an orthopaedic surgeon. After graduating from
the University of Notre Dame he attended the University of Michigan Medical
School, his studies focused on economics and the ethical
allocation of scarce health care resources. He is the author of A
Prescription for Health Care Reform.
