Obama shift on birth control seeks to placate Catholics

[cbayer]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/10/us-usa-contraceptives-idUSTRE8181MX20120210


By Stephanie Simon and Caren Bohan

Fri Feb 10, 2012 12:05pm EST

(Reuters) - The White House, in an abrupt shift aimed at quelling an election-year firestorm, announced on Friday that religious employers would not be required to offer free birth control to workers and that the onus would instead be put on insurers.

The compromise, to be formally unveiled by President Barack Obama, seeks to accommodate religious organizations outraged by a new rule that would have required them to offer free contraceptive coverage.

Instead, the new approach puts the burden on insurance companies, ordering them to provide workers at religious-affiliated institutions with free family planning if they request it, without involving their employer at all, the White House said.

The rule had sparked an outcry from Catholic Church leaders, Republicans and other social conservatives who denounced it as an attack on religious freedom.

[russspeakeasy]

1. The man has an automatic transmission. Effortless shifting.

[msanthrope]

3. Women get covered, for free. And the Catholic Church got itself played.

Now, if they kick up a fuss, they have to explain why the accommodation is a bad thing.

Which won't play well.

You just watched a chess play, russ.....

[msanthrope]

2. He played the Catholic Church, and the Repubs.

No way he didn't have Plan 'B' in the wings....

He let them fume a whole week, and then announced it, with the support of the ACLU, PP and NARAL.

Now, the CC gets to make the argument that even though the President compromised, they still don't like it. Which won't play well.

Women still get covered, for free.

[blm]

8. yep...it smelled like a well-prepared 'compromise' as soon as I heard Kerry's statement yesterday

If you want to know the direction the WH wants to go in on an issue, it's generally wise to hear what Kerry thinks should happen in the days preceding an announcement.

[McCamy Taylor]

4. Since insurance companies want to provide contraception, this sounds entirely fair.

If the Church wants to keep its employees pregnant, it will have to self insure. Wonder how long it will be able to afford that?

[cbayer]

6. Pretty brilliantly played on the administration's part.

[Arkana]

5. I thought this was the rule from the beginning, no?

[cbayer]

7. No, they have shifted the burdern from the employer to the insurance companies.

The first rule said that employers (including catholic hospitals, etc) would have to include contraceptive coverage in their insurance plans. These have been optional in the past.

The new rule says that insurance companies must include contraception coverage in all their plans.

Brilliant.

[kestrel91316]

9. Wrong. It seeks to placate Catholic BISHOPS. The rank-and-file didn't need placating

since they want folks like themselves to have access to contraception.