Ok fine. Throw half the population under the bus and we've got a deal!
by digby
I can't believe that Democrats would go for this, but you never know:
[S]everal Republican legislators said there was another provision they wanted included in the legislation: a so-called "conscience clause" that would exempt employers (citing religious objections) from having to provide coverage for birth control as part of the health care plans they offer employees. This idea has been on the Republican wish list for years—Obamacare already has this sort of exemption for churches, mosques, and other places of worship—and with Washington in full-on crisis mode, GOPers are looking to exploit current circumstances to win this long-running fight.
"There are a lot of people, and I'm one of those, who are really pushing for a conscience clause to be included," said Rep. Chris Stewart (R-Utah), a former consultant and End-Times novelist who was elected last fall. "They want to have some principle that they could go home and say, 'we fought for this, and we got this.'"
Sure they do. And people in hell want ice water, it doesn't mean they deserve to get it.
I'd guess that sticking it to women on behalf of the Catholic Bishops and the social conservatives might be a pretty decent consolation prize. (Contrary to popular perception, the sopcial conservatives haven't disappeared.) But it would repudiate pretty much everything every Democrat said in the last election so I'd guess it's a non-starter. But the GOP is undoubtedly going to need a little something to even sign on to a temporary cease fire. What's it going to be?
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