Republicans Push For the Supremacy of Religious Law

Upcoming health care reforms will require health care plans to cover birth control…finally. While this is long overdue nationwide, it is not a new concept for many individual states.

In a conference call, Rep. Lois Capps, D-Calif., who said she spoke as a nurse, mother and grandmother, pointed out that 28 states have similar rules on coverage for birth control.

One of those states? Massachusetts, which had these regulations in place while Mitt Romney was governor.

The Republicans ignore two key points when they gin up outrage over the move to broaden access to health care.

First, the regulations, so far as I can tell, do not force anyone to use birth control. They provide access, which is particularly helpful for the poor…although the Republican standard bearer Romney has already informed us that he is “not concerned about the very poor.”

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Second, the regulations cover public services. The same Republican Party which has fantasized about Sharia law taking over Oklahoma continue to want religious law determining our health care laws.

Newt Gingrich in 2012, on the necessity of allowing religious law to trump secular law.

“The fact is what you’re saying is there cannot be a genuine Catholic hospital,” said Gingrich, who converted to Catholicism in 2009. “It will have to be subordinated to a secular government.”

Newt Gingrich in 2010, on the necessity of allowing secular law to trump religious law.

“We should have a federal law that says sharia law cannot be recognized by any court in the United States,” Gingrich said to a standing ovation from the audience. The law will let judges know, Gingrich said, that “no judge will remain in office that tried to use sharia law.”

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This fight is not about religious freedom — again, no individual is being required to take birth control. This fight is about whether religious law can be used to justify taking control of other people’s bodies.