While the secular and libral faith communities welcome the Obama administration's birth control mandate, which also provides other potentially live saving services to women, the GOP and the Catholic bishops are in a total tizzy about this supposed affront to religious freedom. In an awesomely batshit crazy comment, GOP House Rep., Mike Kelly, compared the mandate to the bombing of Pearl Harbor. He added that the day that the mandate began was the day that freedom died. While most folks would burst out laughing at Kelly's comments, Gretchen Carlson reported them solemnly. And as the mouthpiece for the GOP and the Catholic bishops, Fox News has been providing ongoing validation of the anti-Obama, anti-contraceptive policy talking points which include the lie that it includes abortion drugs. Sunday, Fox priest, Fr. Jonathan Morris was back for what looks like his ninth anti-Obama, anti-birth control propaganda pushing appearance on Fox. Morris, who still hasn't given his life or gone to jail in fighting against the mandate, used part of his weekly sermon to lie about abortion inducing drugs. Meanwhile, pro-mandate clergy have yet to give a Sunday sermon on Fox News! (Guess that would be heresy?)
The opening chyron set the requisite tone: "Contraception Controversy, Mandate Officially Goes Into Effect." Dave Briggs reported that the contraception mandate has gone into effect. He provided the requisite message with the patented Fox phrasing: "Some say that it violated their religious beliefs in order to avoid paying heavy fines."
Roger Ailes' and Cardinal Dolan's favorite Roman Collared coutured boy toy, Father Morris cited the 43 lawsuits that are going to the courts. He didn't mention that one of the lawsuits got thrown out by a US District Judge. He got all excited when he said that private businesses are getting involved and cited the case involving a Colorado business. As the chyron read "Conflicts Over Contraception, Religious Groups Fighting for Rights," After Morris described it as the court saying "we're not going to force this family to provide this service that goes against conscience" and Camerota remarking that it seems like they won, Dave Briggs did inform then that it's only a preliminary injunction, Fr. Morris did his best jazz hands when he spluttered that it points to the "primacy of the individual conscience" such as conscientious objection to being in the military which, he claims, is a "clear link" to this issue. (Uh, "CO" status doesn't directly affect others as does a business owner who wants to deprive his female workers of birth control coverage.)
Clayton Morris provided information on the mandate. After he said that religious institutions have a year before they cover birth control, Fr. Morris continued the lie, never rebutted on Fox, that the contraceptives include abortion inducing drugs. One more time - abortion inducing drugs, such as RU 486, are not covered. Emergency contraception, viewed only by the Catholic Church as an "abortifacient," does not cause abortion because it prevents ovulation - no ovulation, no pregnancy, no abortion.
Fr. Morris got really agitated when he said that this was "imposed" on Americans "using moralistic terms" such as it is a "right" to get "this type of health care" (as opposed to "right to life?") and "because it's a right, it's an obligation." He babbled about how "when there's a distorted moral principal, the consequences are worse." He lied again when he blithered about horrible it is that this "new right to birth control and abortifacient drugs must be respected by all." His curvy couch congregation sat at rapt attention. After Briggs said "it's far from over, Fr. Morris added that this is the time for businesses to make decisions.
Hmmm, now I know that Ms. Camerota is one of Ailes' stable of Catholics so she mustn't be using birth control. But, if she's committing mortal sin, she can now get her birth control without a co-payment - a benefit being provided to all women who, in many cases, are already paying for the coverage. Birth control will be in the same category as Viagra which is covered, without co-payment, in many health care plans including that of Catholic colleges and universities, some of which are already covering birth control. (fancy that!) But if it's up to the cute little padre, a member of the world's oldest men's club, you non-Catholic ladies will just have to pay for your birth control if you work for a devout Catholic. I know that the Catholic Church says that sex out of wedlock is a huge sin, so one wonders if Catholic employers, exercising their religious liberty, could deny pregnancy benefits to pregnant, unmarried workers. There are so many questions and issues in the "religious liberty" argument. Too bad you don't hear them on Fox which has an agenda and is sticking to it.