Birth control exemption bill killed in Senate

The Senate Thursday rejected an effort to vastly expand conscience exemptions to the Obama administration’s new birth control coverage rule, even as Republican presidential contenders continued to tussle over the issue.

The measure, an amendment proposed by Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) to a highway funding bill, would have allowed not only religious groups but any employer with moral objections to opt out of the coverage requirement. And it would have allowed such employers to do so in the case of not only contraception but any health service required by the 2010 health-care law.

The 51 to 48 vote to kill the amendment was largely along party lines, although three Democrats — Robert P. Casey Jr. (Pa.), Joe Manchin (W.Va.) and Ben Nelson (Neb.) — broke ranks to support it, and Republican Olympia Snowe (Maine) opposed it.

All the Republican candidates have made the birth control issue a key part of their stump speeches in recent weeks, banking on conservative anger over what they contend is the rule’s narrow religious exception.

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Dntmkmecmoverther

It's absolutely incredible, that 48 out of 100 senators who were elected to defend and uphold the US Constitution, clearly have no ability to do so. Time for an impeachment of them all. This issue is FAR from over…
- Tedde
  
  A typical obverse statement by the uninformed.
  - Dntmkmecmoverther
    
    @Tedde: If your comment was aimed at me, care to back up your statement? I am FAR from uninformed; so make your point clearly for us all.
- Anne Gelinase
  
  It is time for men to cry wolf to congress and demand men's health rights be upheld. that would include condoms,
  prostrate and colon cancer, and everything women want, men should get too. Men should be covered for using prostituites and their use of protection just like women. So now is the time for men to demand what women demand.
  - daves
    
    Other than contraceptives, men already have those things.
- Myrtlelinder
  
  dntmkme…………You surely are not surprised at that!! Seems that every time a new news item comes out, it is worse than the last one, more of GOD'S people's, at least those who claim to be Christians, cave to the left.
- http://rationalresponses.blogspot.com/ Jeff Dixon
  
  The United States Constitution does not provide for nor authorize the impeachment or recall of United States officers such as Senators, Representatives, and thus no Member of Congress has ever been recalled in the history of the United States.
  
  Members of Congress may have their services ended prior to the normal expiration of their constitutionally established terms of office by their resignation or death, or by action of the house of Congress in which they are a Member by way of an “expulsion,” or by a finding that in accepting a subsequent “incompatible” public office, the Member would be deemed to have vacated his congressional seat.
  
  You should learn more about the laws of our country.
Winston

So, now that the Obama communist government is lawless, it is also murderous, including the Senate.
Doug Smith

Obverse it may be, uninformed, it is not. Just because someone dares to have a different opinion than yours does not make it uninformed. It does make you intolerant. Can't you debate on the issues raised.
- Myrtlelinder
  
  It is intolerant , only if it is against the GODHEAD or against the good of mankind. Just take abortion, that is killing mankind before they ever get a chance to even breathe.
David

At the age of 75, why should I pay (with my tax money) for condoms for someone else. Maybe if you attach a rider to the bill to pay for my gas and electric bill. You know, that could be an health issue. Without heat I could catch a cold, even get sick and die.
Just kill the stupid idea!!!
- daves
  
  Because it will prevent abortion and bring down healthcare costs.
  - Linda F.
    
    Contraceptive measures have done nothing to eliminate abortions so far, daves. And if a person wants to buy contraceptives, they can use their own money to do so. They should not rely on others' hard-earned money.
    - http://rationalresponses.blogspot.com/ Jeff Dixon
      
      How do you abort a fetus that was prevented by contraception?
johnk

never mind the contraception, KILL ALL of OBAMACARE
hello!
- Anne Gelinase
  
  That is where this is all going. It is UNCONSTITUTIONAL AND WILL BE REJECTED by our SupremeCourt as an invasion jon the rights of EVERY CITIZEN NOT JUST A FEW who feel they have the right to FORCE their nonsense on the rest of us. OUR SUPREME COURT HAD BEST UPHOLD OUR CONSTITUTION AS WRITTEN. If they cannot uphold our Constitution then we are doomed as a country.
  - daves
    
    You are mad because you are forced to pay taxes? Sorry but that has been going on a lot longer than Obamacare has been around.
    
    If that is not it., then what is it you are being forced to do?
  - Myrtlelinder
    
    With all of the liberals we have don't bet on it. They have done little so far to protect us or our rights.
Phyllisofical

This squelch from the Senate Dems on moral conscience shows what they think of "religious freedom" and conscientious objection. Our govt. is behaving more and more like a Fascist state, suppressing individual conscience and liberty. No longer can we say that we live in a "free country." America has fallen to deep depths. Oh dear country, how we have loved you. Most High God, can You raise this fair land from the dead?
- Anne Gelinase
  
  You are exactly correct.! Deaf, Dumb and Blind is the Senate Democrats. So at the POLLS, VOTERS YOU BE DEAF, BLIND AND DUMB when you vote them out. They want to be voted in more than they want religious freedom to reign in America. They want to be voted in more than they care about you and your individual conscience. They want to be voted in and sacrifice living in a free country. So. VOTE THEM ALL OUT. We will start over without them.
msjallen

How much more freedom are we going to lose before we end 0's term in office? He says he is not finished but the congress or the senate is not hearing or seeing the freedoms he is erasing from our land. It is as if we are living in the "twilight zone".
We the People have the obligation to write and tell our reps what we think of their votes against our freedom.
Something else we can do; stick it to 0 — check out this web site… http://store.visiontoamerica.com/gas-pump-stick-i…
Or write your own and stick them everywhere you go to educate the clueless about 0.
Wayne

The whole idea of socialized health care is nothing less than a cover for the Government to take control of every aspect of our lives even our conscience. This is designed to be a wedge against Christianity and anything else the Politicians deem their enemy. Just as David commented below, even the heat in our home could be considered a health risk if it is not warm enough, too hot, or perhaps anything but electrical heating is determined to be dirty and could cause higher rates of cancer, ANYTHING can be related to health in one way or another. Your weight needs to be within certain parameters, You must purchase certain dental items and use them to be covered by health care, the car you drive must meet Gov't regs., your kids cannot eat a hershey bar or a McDonald burger, the list is endless. Stop the Government takeover of our lives by stopping the health care law!
- Anne Gelinase
  
  ANYTIME THE GOVERNMENT OF ANY COUNTRY TELLS YOU WHAT IS GOOD FOR YOU , YOU ARE NOW A SOCIALISTIC COUNTRY GOVERNED BY THEIR DICTATES. So women many of them have given all their individual rights to the government to fight their sexual battles and call if health. What a shame. So men should do the same.
  But to all women out there, you may think you are getting what YOU want by shaming all the other citizens in America who do not want what you want, just wait and see what power you have given to the government by allowing them into your personal lives and now mine. This is just the beginning of Socialism, Communism take-over, and radicals running America, my country, into the ground. You give up personal power to get what you want, you then give up all your freedoms that America is known for and survived by. Shame on all you women out there who don't give a damm about the rest of us.
  - Anne Gelinase
    
    Women have , and for the most part, many women, have given up their rights to the government. women some women learned a long time ago to let the government fight their battles for them. now and soon the government will have ownership of all women and just when they think they have won the battle, the government will swoop in and tell them what they will and won't pay for . it is coming. women you have given up the most precious thing about America.
    YOUR INDIVIUAL FREDDOM. Not only given up your freedom, but taken mine away. How awful.
Anne Gelinas

Thanks to our history, presidents in our past opened up the door to the kind of lifestyle that only occurred in Europe. That is why our ancestors fled those countries. This is a country whereby all men and women rule the government by making sure we act alone and do everything we can for ourselves. Self-sustaining in every way. We would learn to grow crops, we would learn technology and make our country great, we would give a certain amount of our earnings to our government for them to just get by and with our money help companies build streets, highways, railway lines, etc. .Keep in mind, that if you go back some, you will find that some of our past presidents had the mindset of keeping the population down and there were many ways to do it.
Anne Gelinase

Women have been giving the government the easiast way to do that. Abort as many babies as they can and then the population will leave enough food for the ones left. This is all about keeping our numbers down, not to overpopulate, and follow the examples of countries across the world an how to keep your poplulation down. Here in our free America, we are allowing or have no resistance to allowing babies to be aborted at any time of a pregnancy. When did women and men get so dumb, they can't use their own brains to prevent abortions rather than find ways to get pregnant knowing all you have to do is abort it later.? I see a lot of killing going on all over the world and abortion is just another way to kill off those in your way. When will it stop.?
John J Flanagan

Only the Republicans are standing up for life these days. The Democrats are neo pagans and lost, even if there are some so called professing Christians in their ranks. Despite the shortcomings of the Republicans, you can still find some who reflect and defend Christian values, the sanctity of life, traditional marriage, and morals, but among Democrats, there is not even one who will stand publicly for these issues. Should the American people vote the Democrats in for another four years, there is every reason to feel that our nation will decline further and eventually experience the wrath of God.