The Obama Administration's Contraceptive Reversal

This was the big news all day yesterday.

See New York Times, "Rule Shift on Birth Control Is Concession to Obama Allies."

But see Life News, "Obama Revises Mandate: Free Abortion-Causing Drugs for Women."

It's still a mandate, but the appearance of compromise will provide political cover for the White House.

Lame.

Lots more at Memeorandum. And at Catholic Vote, "Unacceptable — former Vatican Ambassador, Prof. Robert George, others respond":

This so-called “accommodation” changes nothing of moral substance and fails to remove the assault on religious liberty and the rights of conscience which gave rise to the controversy.  It is certainly no compromise.  The reason for the original bipartisan uproar was the administration’s insistence that religious employers, be they institutions or individuals, provide insurance that covered services they regard as gravely immoral and unjust.  Under the new rule, the government still coerces religious institutions and individuals to purchase insurance policies that include the very same services....

The simple fact is that the Obama administration is compelling religious people and institutions who are employers to purchase a health insurance contract that provides abortion-inducing drugs, contraception, and sterilization.  This is a grave violation of religious freedom and cannot stand.  It is an insult to the intelligence of Catholics, Protestants, Eastern Orthodox Christians, Jews, Muslims, and other people of faith and conscience to imagine that they will accept as assault on their religious liberty if only it is covered up by a cheap accounting trick.