Justice Sotomayor issued an emergency stay to delay the requirement that religious groups pay for birth control in employee …
contraception
Sandra Fluke on Her Role in the Contraception Controversy: ‘I Would Do This Again’
Last week Sandra Fluke became famous overnight. But the cascading sequence of events leading to Rush Limbaugh’s tirade against the 30-year-old Georgetown law student began two months ago. At a Republican presidential debate on …
Limbaugh’s Rant Isn’t Just Ignorant; It’s Terrible Politics
Just as the GOP was struggling to recover from Rick Santorum’s self-declared crusade against the “dangers of contraception” in this country, along comes Rush Limbaugh with an offensive and ignorant series of attacks on Sandra Fluke, a young woman who testified recently regarding the financial cost of birth control for female students at …
Senate Blocks Republican Contraception Measure, but the Debate Can’t Be Voted Away
In a 51-48 vote on Thursday, the Senate rejected a Republican amendment that would have allowed any employer to deny medical coverage for services it objected to on religious grounds. Drawn up in the wake of the Obama Administration’s decision to mandate contraception coverage at Catholic universities and hospitals, the amendment, …
Political Pictures of the Week, Feb. 11-17
TIME’s photo editors bring you the best pictures of the past week from the Beltway and beyond.
Rick Santorum Wants to Fight ‘The Dangers Of Contraception’
Candidates often say things when polling in the single digits that come back to haunt them when they start leading the polls. Last October, Rick Santorum gave an interview with an Evangelical blog called Caffeinated Thoughts, in …
Birth Control Debate: Why Catholic Bishops Have Lost Their Grip on U.S. Politics—and Their Flock
The Vatican’s timing was ironic. While Roman Catholic bishops in the U.S. were trying to revive their moral and political clout last week by battling President Obama over contraception coverage and religious liberty, a papally …
Mired in the Sticky Politics of Health and Faith, Obama Shifts on Contraception
In the face of mounting pressure from Catholic leaders and politicians, the White House on Friday tweaked its position on contraception coverage mandates in the Affordable Care Act. Rather than require large religious …
Conflict Over Obama’s Contraception Rule Intensifies
The Administration’s decision to require Catholic charities and universities to provide free birth control through employee health coverage is several weeks old, but the maelstrom of dissent it’s created is widening. Republicans, who charge that the measure violates such organizations’ religious freedoms, have allied with Catholic groups …
Obama Administration’s Contraception Ruling Fits with Re-Election Needs
According to a memo published by the moderate think tank, Third Way, and highlighted by The New Yorker’s Ryan Lizza, the 2012 election will come down to a fight over truly independent voters who cast ballots for Obama in 2008. If Obama can hang on to these voters, he wins. If he cedes too many to Mitt Romney, he loses. Other factors …