New amendment shot down in 48-51 vote
The Blunt Amendment, a proposal from Senator Roy Blunt, is a response to the mandate made by Obama that requires employers to cover contraceptives in their insurance plans. In cases of religious affiliations like Catholic hospitals, who don’t agree with the use of birth control, women employees would be able to obtain contraceptives directly from the insurance companies. The Blunt Amendment, in simple terms, would allow exemptions to the aforementioned mandate “for any employer that felt a moral or conscientious objection to it,” the Washington Post said. “As such, the measure could have opened the door for virtually all employers—faith-based or not – to avoid the requirement, which covers other preventative services besides birth control, such as colonoscopy screenings, mammograms, flu shots and regular pediatric visits.”
The Blunt Amendment is just another example of Republicans trying to rid the country of the separation of church and state. This same issue was shot down almost 50 years ago. The 1965 case, Griswold v. Connecticut, was about state laws prohibiting the use of contraceptives; the Supreme Court struck it down because they said it violated a right to marital privacy. Because a very similar issues was shot down half a decade ago, some are wondering why the issue is being challenged again.
Though there are those who say the Blunt Amendment isn’t about women’s health, one thing is clear: it doesn’t seem right that anyone’s boss should have a say over personal health care decisions. John Steward of “The Daily Show” said on his show on Thursday, “It’s called the Blunt Amendment – after how high you’d have to be to think you’re going to pass this f*cking thing!”
Even with the amount of media coverage the Blunt Amendment got, it was still defeated on a slim 48-to-51 vote.
