The Real Reason Evangelical Christians Are Trying to Thwart Women's Right to Birth Control

[xchrom]

http://www.alternet.org/tea-party-and-right/are-evangelical-christians-opposed-contraception-or-just-political-tools-fight



On July 19, 2011, a report released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommended that all American women be provided with free contraception. Catholic charities were immediately in an uproar, knowing that this would like result in a provision for free contraception as part of the recently-passed Affordable Care Act.

In addition to Catholic institutions, evangelical organizations were also sounding the alarm bells. “Yet another untruth about Obamacare has been uncovered,” said Richard Land, head of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, on July 20. “HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has recommended mandatory coverage for ‘emergency contraception,’ which is a euphemism for the morning-after pill, which often kills a newly conceived child by not allowing the embryo to implant on the wall of the mother’s womb.”

Land’s strong words mark the first major evangelical objection to the contraception mandate. By the Spring of 2012, evangelicals were the only major religious group where a majority opposed the mandate, according to a Public Religion Research Institute Poll. But the evangelical anti-contraception-mandate movement didn’t gain widespread attention until Hobby Lobby filed a lawsuit against Sebelius, announced in September 2012. Hobby Lobby founder David Green argued that his company was founded on pro-life Christian principles, and thus should be exempt from the mandate. “Being Christians, we don't pay for drugs that might cause abortions. Which means that we don't cover emergency contraception, the morning-after pill or the week-after pill. We believe doing so might end a life after the moment of conception, something that is contrary to our most important beliefs.”

The Hobby Lobby lawsuit encouraged other evangelicals to join the battle against the mandate. Lawsuits opposing the mandate, which had previously been filed mainly by Catholic groups, were now being filed by evangelical businesses and universities. Evangelical publishing giant Tyndale House sued Sebelius, followed by three Baptist universities, The American Family Association, and Guidestone Financial Resources (which provides health insurance to Southern Baptist Convention employees.)

[Freddie]

1. Science is not their strong suit

The PTB in the Fundies have their people believing that common hormonal contraception (the Pill, ring, patch, Mirena)--you know, the kinds that are truly effective--actually "cause abortions" ie. cause fertilized eggs to fail to implant. Even though science has proven that these methods work by suppressing ovulation so there's no egg to fertilize. When you hear them go on about how the ACA "pays for abortion-causing drugs" this is what they are referring to.
I smell bullshit. Their true motive for opposing effective contraception is, of course, controlling women. A woman who has control of whether, when, and how many children she shall bear (a right that should be enshrined in the Constitution IMO) can get an education and a good job. She can be independent, or far less dependent, on her Lord and Master husband. That's the real threat contraception poses to the "submissive wife" crowd.

[PotatoChip]

2. I agree. (nt)

[Arkansas Granny]

3. Yes, it's is absolutely about control.

That is why religion is such a useful took for those in power.

[hlthe2b]

4. Precisely.. n/t

[LisaLynne]

9. Very well said. nt

[NuclearDem]

5. If good white Christian women aren't getting pregnant and making babies

Then the scary darker-skinned people out there will out-breed us into extinction.

So, no birth control, ladies. Need another generation of white Christian warriors.

[safeinOhio]

6. Dang, I just couldn't find that passage in my Bible.

Lots about divorce and working on Saturday.

[Stuart G]

7. check out that Bible publised by the ...devil...it is in that one...no text..

[gwheezie]

8. I found this old post

Some old white men fear the minority majority, they can't change it, they either need to accept this and learn to live like members of society or we leave them behind and they wallow in their fear. Hopefully, they die off before they do too much more damage.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021100896

[Bluenorthwest]

10. If you were in the religion game, and saw liberals and others kvelling over

another player in the religion game who stridently objects to birth control and compares it to abortion, would you not consider jumping on that bandwagon? For years the Evangelicals have been considered dolts and idiots for opposing choice, now Francis has shown them that it is possible to oppose contraception, abortion and to continue attacking gay people while also being praised and lionized by folks who claim they support all of those things.
A look at recent events in religion shows us that rather than moderating their stances, if religions double down on the nutty dogma, the world will find a way to agree and to call them friend, ally, most wonderful councilor. The Evangelicals see they have done it wrong, the opposed only abortion and gays and were reviled, Francis opposed abortion, gays and contraception and he's lauded and celebrated. Who can blame the others for trying to play the same card?

[xchrom]

11. you get extra big points for using 'kvelling' nt

[Jim Lane]

12. Wait, shouldn't it have been "kvetching"? (n/t)

[xchrom]

13. well not the way blue was using it kvell is to:

kvell
k(ə vel/
verbinformal
gerund or present participle: kvelling
1.
feel happy and proud.
"my mom was kvelling—bursting with pride"


and kvetch:

kvetch
k(ə veCH,kfeCH/
informal
noun
1.
a person who complains a great deal.
verb
1.
complain.

[Jim Lane]

14. So the liberals wouldn't be kvelling about another anti-abortion group, they'd be kvetching.

The Christofascists would be kvelling but Blue was talking about what the liberals were doing.

[xchrom]

15. !

yes -- thus endeth the lesson in Yiddish.