Democracy Gone Astray

Democracy, being a human construct, needs to be thought of as directionality rather than an object. As such, to understand it requires not so much a description of existing structures and/or other related phenomena but a declaration of intentionality.
This blog aims at creating labeled lists of published infringements of such intentionality, of points in time where democracy strays from its intended directionality. In addition to outright infringements, this blog also collects important contemporary information and/or discussions that impact our socio-political landscape.

All the posts here were published in the electronic media – main-stream as well as fringe, and maintain links to the original texts.

[NOTE: Due to changes I haven't caught on time in the blogging software, all of the 'Original Article' links were nullified between September 11, 2012 and December 11, 2012. My apologies.]

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Ron Johnson Offers Women Contraception Advice: Google ‘What If I Can't Afford Birth Control?'

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) weighed into the controversy surrounding President Barack Obama's birth control mandate this weekend, dismissing the concerns of women who cannot afford contraception.

"My wife actually went online here in Wisconsin and typed in, 'what if I can’t afford birth control,'" the freshman Tea Party senator told ThinkProgress. "Came up, bam. If you can’t afford it, you can get birth control in this country.”

(Video above via ThinkProgress)

Johnson has been a vocal opponent of Obama's birth control mandate, which requires nearly all employers to provide insurance which covers the cost of contraception to employees.

ThinkProgress asked Johnson to clarify his comments regarding birth control. “You can get it," Johnson insisted. "Go online, type it in. It’s easy to get.”

Obama's mandate has faced a wave of criticism, particularly from religious groups. Protests and demonstrations have appeared across the country since the mandate was first introduced in January.

Some organizations however, have put down the picket signs and taken the judicial approach.

The Becket Fund, a small, non-profit law firm, has filed a lawsuit on behalf of a Benedictine college, a Roman Catholic university, and an interdenominational school against the birth control mandate.

Obama's entire health care reform law is currently being reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court and could potentially be repealed.

Original Article
Source: Huff
Author: Leigh Owens 

No comments:

Post a Comment