This is a first. Apparently my reading of the odious Rubio/Manchin bill earlier today was accurate:
A new bill introduced by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), a rising conservative star and leading contender for the Republican vice-presidential nomination in 2012, could cut off birth control coverage for millions of women who receive it through their health plans.
Rubio has sold his proposal—introduced January 31 as the “Religious Freedom Restoration Act,” or S. 2043—as a way to counter President Barack Obama’s controversial rule requiring even religiously-affiliated schools and universities to offer copay-free birth control to their employees. But health care experts say that its implications could be far broader.
If passed, the bill would allow any institution or corporation to cut off birth control coverage simply by citing religious grounds. (You can read the bill here or in the DocumentCloud embed below.) It has 26 cosponsors in the Senate; a similar proposal sponsored by Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.) has 148 cosponsors in the House. On Wednesday, Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio) vowed to repeal Obama’s rule, and Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) pointed to Rubio’s bill as a potential model for doing so.
Joe Manchin may think he is protecting religious freedom, but he’s actually launched the first shot in the latest skirmish in the GOP war on women.
Pathetic, Senator Manchin. Just plain pathetic. Our only hope is if this bill makes it to the floor of the Senate, Manchin will miss it while on an Easter retreat with his family.
At this point, I think he is just positioning himself to be a Republican should the Democrats lose the Senate.
For Once, My Legal Analysis Was AccuratePost + Comments (66)