The Neosecularist

Nancy Pelosi: The Iron-ing Lady

Well, it didn’t take long for Nancy Pelosi to take her foot out of her mouth and say something else incredibly stupid (and dangerous) about contraception, the Catholic Church and religious conscience exemptions.  And it proves that if there is a wrinkle in any socialist driven bill, no matter how nasty or stubborn a wrinkle it is, or unconstitutional, Nancy Pelosi will be there to iron it out.

The issue of self insured institutions was the spotlight of controversy on Thursday, and in particular, self insured religious institutions.  The Obama Administration had earlier reached a “compromise” with regards to forcing religious institutions to provide contraception, including abortifacients.  The compromise?  Putting the onus of paying for the contraception on insurance companies instead of religious institutions.  However, a snag developed which was brought to the attention of the Iron-ing Lady, Nancy Pelosi.  Some insurance providers are themselves religious institutions.  Now what?

Said Pelosi:

“Yes, I think that all institutions who cover, who give, health insurance should cover the full range of health insurance issues for women.”

In other words, that “compromise” is as meaningless as it is a sham.  Democrats have been both insistence and unabashedly vocal about forcing religious institutions to pay for contraception (including pregnancy ending pills and medication) against their religious and moral convictions.  This push for more access, and “free” access, comes under the disguise of “women’s health” to safeguard the “reproductive rights” of all women.  In fact, it is being done at the behest of, and merely to please and pleasure, Planned Parenthood and other pro-abortion organizations and keep them in business with taxpayer dollars.

Pelosi’s anti-Catholic rhetoric is long-standing.

The Democrats have, from the beginning, demanded more access to contraception and birth control for women.  But how to get around the cost factor was always the main issue, the big “wrinkle” in the fabric of this monstrous agenda.  Obama’s contraception mandate is the icing on the “reproductive rights” cake.  Not only does this mandate provide women with that access, but “free” contraception paid for by insurance companies, which will have that passed down to us, the taxpayers through higher premiums, loss of benefits, etc, and whatever cost the government picks up.

The “slight hitch” in the mandate is what the Iron-ing Lady is trying to smooth over.  Not so much with Catholic and religious institutions – she has already burnt a hole clear through in that endeavor.  But with her pro-abortion friends who have long been fighting to get more money from government for their struggling and floundering abortion business, and who are worried about any “conscience clause”, any opt out for religious institutions, like Catholic hospitals, that might make it more difficult for them in their pro-abortion agenda.

The contraception mandate, for now, seems to be their golden ticket.  However, Catholic Bishops, Catholics themselves, and Americans of every religious and conservative, and moral persuasion, are gearing up for a fight to counter what is, and has become, an attack on the constitution itself and the constitutional right of religious freedom.  Undoubtedly this fight will find its way to the U.S Supreme Court where it, depending on who the nine Justices are when the case comes before them – which may very well depend on who our next President will be – will be settled.

In-between that time, the Iron-ing Lady, Nancy Pelosi, will continue her attempt to smooth over any and all wrinkles in this, and any, future socialist driven agendas.  However, the more she must “smooth over” the wrinkles, the more she inadvertently is wearing down the fabric of the agenda she is trying to iron out.  The good news for us – conservatives – is that because Democrats always produce and manufacture cheap and shoddy legislation, there will always be wrinkles for our Iron-ing Lady to smooth out.

This contraception mandate, and how to both force religious institutions, and exempt them, at the same time, from having to provide services they find morally objectionable, will be one tough wrinkle for the Iron-ing Lady to smooth over and may well prove to be too exhausting for her in the long run.

Perhaps Pelosi ought to just leave the iron burning on the mandate, let it burn a hole through and try to mend the hole she has already made with the Catholic Church.   Or – perhaps she ought to just put her foot back in her mouth and keep it there.

Related articles

• Pelosi: Because 90% of Catholic women use contraception, we have to mandate that Catholic orgs buy it (hotair.com)
• Pelosi: Yes, of course, the Catholic Church should be forced to cover contraception – even if it’s self-insured (hotair.com)
• Shaw: On contraception mandate, bishops’ approach deserves praise (osvdailytake.com)
• Taking directives from Nancy Pelosi on conscience and consistency is like… (insightscoop.typepad.com)
• The bishops are standing up to the President. But what of Pelosi? (insightscoop.typepad.com)