Don’t Think the HHS Mandate Controversy Is Over

The Obama Administration wants you to think that they’ve fixed the problem and that they’re no longer trampling all over religious freedom.

Hold onto your faith. But just don’t waste it on this Administration.

Here’s a roundup of some of the latest commentary.

I Am Altering the Contraception Deal
Post Libertarian
This is the kind of monarch-like behavior that our system of government is supposed to prevent. Everyone seems caught up in the issue of what kind of contraception mandate Obama should decide to give to employers and insurance providers. But the real issue is whether or not Obama should have the authority to decide it at all.

Religion burns Obama again
The Hill
The furor over contraception that consumed much of this week is just one more instance of the president having been put onto the back foot at the intersection of faith and politics.

The Contraceptive Mandate’s Shaky Justification
Right Side News
Are you buying the Obama party line that the administration is merely protecting people who work for religious organizations — such as Catholic schools, hospitals, and charitable organizations? Ensuring they are not denied these “reproductive services” that are covered under health-insurance plans ordinary businesses arrange for their employees? These claims do not pass the laugh test. Nobody in America is denied access to abortion, let alone birth-control pills.

Religion And Birth Control: Not Just A GOP Fight
NPR
All this week, Republicans on Capitol Hill bashed that policy as a violation of religious freedom, and some of the president’s fellow Democrats added to the heat.

GOP conservatives unite against birth control coverage
USAToday
President Obama’s political shifting over contraception coverage has united conservative Republicans in protest even as they split over which GOP presidential hopeful should face him in the general election.

Decision could raise premiums
The Hill
Under Obama’s new plan, health insurers are required to cover contraception for people who work at religious institutions such as Catholic hospitals and universities. Those employers don’t have to pay for the coverage, and neither do the employees.