The Vagina Ideologue - Sensenbrenner's Attack on Equality

Over the last few months I’ve been following U.S. Representative James ‘Jimmy’ Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.), and the bat-shit crazy stuff he posts here on Patch.   

In his latest bout of manufactured outrage, Jimmy’s cause du jour is religious freedom. Perhaps not surprisingly, Jimmy made the leap from health care to religion. Here’s how it all went down.

Lucky Number VII

In accordance with both Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and a 2000 ruling by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission:

“...failure to offer coverage for prescription contraceptive drugs and devices constitutes discrimination on the basis of sex and pregnancy in violation of Title VII.” 

The contraception insurance mandate in the Affordable Health Care Act is consistent with Title VII. Therefore employers that have primarily secular activities or employ people of many faiths — including church-affiliated hospitals and universities — must comply.

Stop Persecuting My Persecution

Despite the fact that churches themselves are exempt from the mandate and that the institutions in question are not primarily religious in nature, many Catholic leaders got pissed. Apparently the notion of allowing women to control their own health-related decisions that contravene church tenants against birth control was just one step too far by the government.

In their view, it seems that discrimination against women by witholding heath care is just fine as long as it’s in the name of religious freedom. C’mon fellas, can I get an “A-MEN”!

Pfff. Give me break. While the constitution gives me the freedom to practice any religion, it does not give the authority to impose those religious beliefs on others. 

By insisting that church-affiliated secular institutions are exempt from the contraception insurance mandate, the Catholic bishops who oppose the mandate are doing exactly that — imposing their beliefs on others. 

Thou Hath No Moral Highground

And besides, when should a bunch of grey-haired virgins be in a position of influence over women’s heath issues?!

For that matter, why does anyone listen to anything espoused by those who harbor sociopathic pedophiles and don’t even have the decency to admit it in court, take their punishment and give sex abuse victims some sense of closure. 

Is not confessing your sins the very definition of being Catholic? But I digress.

Pulling Back the Curtain

If the contraception insurance mandate issue is not about religious freedom, why then is Jimmy so enamoured with these pillars of moral hypocrisy that he speaks so earnestly in their defense?

As you all know, Jimmy is a lapdog sucking at the teet of the Republican National Committee. Jimmy’s GOP overlords see this issue as an opportunity to weaken the Affordable Health Care Act and are using the veil of religious freedom to sell it to the public. 

This is why, after President Obama offered an utterly sensible accommodation for church-affiliated institutions — insurance companies would be required to cover contraception costs instead — Jimmy and his GOP pals keep pressing the issue. 

I'm With Stoopid

I have long stated that Jimmy treats his constituents like idiots and this thinly disguised misdirection is another great example.

On issue after issue, our representative continually stirs up anger with an emotionally charged issue (religious freedom) and turns that anger towards something popular with the public and morally just  (the Affordable Health Care Act) but at odds with the far-right Tea Party platform.

By masquerading as the vagina ideologue, Sensenbrenner strikes yet another blow in his war on intelligence and indeed, the GOP-fuelled assault on basic human dignity and equality for all Americans.