Oh, MAN, do I hope he really said this (during a speech).

@thestorm My thoughts exactly. It's quoted all over the internet (very credible!) but I didn't find its origin. Either way, the words (whether spoken by him or by whoever captioned the photo) are spot on.

Oh the irony. Didn't Obama just pass a law forcing Catholic institutions to pay for birth control? Why is okay for him to force his beliefs on Catholics but not the other way around?

@cornellsteven No one's being "forced" to do anything. They simply can't REFUSE their employees access to a medication that they want/need. "Birth control" pills are prescribed for medical issues far beyond preventing pregnancy, and yes, now Catholic institutions can't refuse employees (who may or may not be Catholic themselves) access to a PRESCRIBED MEDICATION.

@xtine - Actually, yes, Catholic institutions are being FORCED to pay for medication that they are against. Emphasizing the word "refuse" doesn't change that fact. And Catholic institutions could never refuse medication, but they had the option not to PAY for it. A person can still get medication even if their employer won't pay for it. How is birth control a right? Is there anything in this country that can't be turned into a "right"?

@cornellsteven Do you have any idea how much birth control pills cost without insurance coverage? Mine's about $250 for a 28-day supply. Also, that's not how insurance works. The employer doesn't pay for medications, they pay for coverage for their employees. Insurance companies expanding their coverage to include birth control will affect these (outdated, sexist) institutions financially in the exact same way whether or not they allow their employees to use their insurance for that drug. So yeah, it's a matter of refusal. Also, "birth control" is what a group of hormone pills are called that treat and prevent lots of issues other than pregnancy. Refusing to cover birth control is no different than refusing to cover a drug that, say, improves your liver function but hardens your dick as a side effect. Catholic employers could then refuse to offer that drug as well citing those moral reasons. That same pervasive ignorance leads to young women being refused the medication they need to take before having an IUD placed because some (ignorant and negligent) pharmacists believe it causes abortions (it doesn't).

@xtine I know you think I'm just some faceless internet troll or some ignorant, sexist person - but I'm really not. And I'm really not trying to be ugly or mean. I was only trying to make the point that I wish things could go both ways. Your personal opinion is that the people who run Catholic institutions are ignorant. And you are completely free to have that opinion. But to them (I'm not a Catholic) it's a deeply-rooted moral belief. Yes, Catholics shouldn't be able to force their beliefs on others; but Liberals like Obama shouldn't be able to force his beliefs on Catholics. That's really all I'm saying. Is it ignorance? Well, you can decide (and obviously have) that it is. But just try to remember that just as you have strong beliefs, so do others. People think Christians are too judgmental, and therefore judge them for being too judgmental. Isn't that the same thing? It seems to me that if one is so "open-minded" that he thinks everything should be right and allowed, then he wants to take away the right of the "close-minded" person to think something is wrong. Just let me have my right to think something is wrong, and you can have your right to think something is right... Is that such a terrible thing?

@cornellsteven All I'm saying is that if your personal belief is that birth control is somehow immoral, then don't take it. You get to make that decision for yourself, and everyone else should be able to make that decision for themselves, as well. It's pretty simple.

It seems to me that the government has no right to say or do anything about how my insurance works or what it covers. If my employer's plan isn't satisfactory, I can always privately buy insurance or get different job.
Also this "war on women" is bullshit manufactured by the media to make the opposition look bad.