Don't fall for this Democratic red herring

On Jan. 7, during the Republican debate moderator George Stephanopoulos asked an odd question: "Do the states have a right to ban birth control?" to which Mitt Romney replied, "Why are you asking such a silly question? No one wants to ban birth control!"

Who knew then that Mr. Stephanopoulos was acting in willing collusion with the White House, to distract the dialogue of the campaign away from the abysmal record of the Obama presidency to this red herring issue of birth control. The Democratic Party knows that President Obama cannot be successful by running on his record which includes: a collapsed housing market, 46 million Americans on food stamps, a record number on unemployment, disability benefits and welfare; an unsustainable debt (almost 16 trillion!), the highest gas prices in history (an increase of 89 percent just since Obama took office) and when you look at the total percentage of the population that is actually employed, it is only 64 percent, which is the lowest rate since the early '70s, (and true unemployment is near 16 percent!). Throw in the crony capitalism scandals such as Solyndra, foreign policy disasters, numerous examples of reckless disregard for the Constitution, and rapid expansion of federal government programs, it is understandable why the Democrats would want to change the subject. I just didn't think anyone would actually fall for it. Judging by some recent letters to The Press, I was wrong. Some people seem to actually believe that if a Republican is elected president, birth control will be declared illegal! Do not believe the scare tactics; this trumped up "war on women" is nothing but a diversion concocted by the Democratic Party!

Even the most socially conservative Republican primary contestant, Rick Santorum, during the 16 years he served in the Congress, never once let his personal beliefs on birth control influence his votes. For example, as senator he voted in favor of funding for birth control for Africa to help stem the spread of AIDS on that continent, and he has said he would not as president impose his Catholic beliefs regarding birth control legislatively on others. All of the Republican nominees are pro-life, as are the majority of Americans. 79 percent of Americans now do not support the current policy of abortion on-demand. In the nearly 40 years since Roe v. Wade there have been almost 54 million abortions performed in the United States; that is a lot of babies who have not survived the womb to be born. That sobering statistic is beginning to take its toll on the American psyche.

The Democrats try to portray the Republicans as holding extreme positions, yet I ask who really is outside of the mainstream. It was Barack Obama in the Illinois Legislature who led the fight to pass a bill allowing "infanticide" when a baby is "accidentally" born alive following an intended abortion. And whom did President Obama appoint to oversee the Department of Health and Human Services? Kathleen Sebelius, governor of the state of Kansas, who oversaw and actively supported the most barbaric late-term abortion practices in the entire country. It is she, with her radical views, who is mentioned over 2,000 times as the one who has final decision-making authority in the soon to be implemented health care law.

It is this same health care law that will limit choices for women in ways far beyond birth control options. There are many examples in countries with nationalized health care of women being denied reparative surgeries for uterine prolapse, urinary incontinence, and post mastectomy reconstruction; an epidural during childbirth is considered a luxury and breast cancer treatments are limited to the least expensive options - not the most effective. It is NOT the Republicans who will end up limiting the health care choices of women!

There is only one area in this political debate where a discussion of birth control is valid and that is the Obama Administration's recent mandate that the Catholic church provide birth control, including those types which induce abortion, as part of their health care benefits. But the REAL issue here is the First Amendment and religious liberty and the right of the government to tell any religion what they can and cannot believe. It is yet another example of where President Obama has not protected the freedom of religion. In fact, in speeches he frequently uses the phrase "freedom of worship" instead of "freedom of religion," as if the Constitutional protection refers to a one day a week occurrence and not a set of life beliefs to which one is entitled. A representative for the Catholic Church, Father Gerald Murray, said "the government is telling us that our teaching about birth control is no longer valid, and that we must act, under compulsion of law, to cause the death of a fetus; for the government to force that upon its citizenry is unconstitutional."

Recent letters to The Press have argued points as to when life begins and the pharmacological actions of BCP. In regard to this religious liberty issue it doesn't matter if life begins at conception or a few days later at implantation; if the pill works primarily by preventing fertilization or occasionally by interfering with implantation. The only thing that matters in THIS debate is the freedom of a religious organization to hold to their values and beliefs, and practice their faith without coercion from the state as guaranteed by the Constitution.

If the health care law is not declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court or repealed by future administrations, this birth control fiasco with the Catholic Church is just the beginning of many moral and religious dilemmas from conception to death that will unfold as the provisions take root; where the life of the individual is not based on his worth as created in the image of God, not endowed by our Creator, but rather committees in Washington, D.C., utilizing cost-saving models such as "Complete Lives Systems" or something slightly more sinister such as the Progressive movement's "Life Unworthy of Life." Rabbi Aryeh Spero of the Caucus for American President said, "this current issue with the Catholic Church should alert us to the danger in nationalizing programs such as health care because when the government takes over a program, they think their value system is more important than a religious value system; that is completely contrary to how this country was founded."

In conclusion, do not fall for the red herring distraction of the Democratic Party. No Republican is trying to take away birth control in America! And moving toward a culture of valuing life in the womb would not be a bad thing. Dr. Ron Paul has a particularly poignant radio ad citing an example during his many years as a practicing obstetrician. In one operating room an electively aborted baby was born alive, struggling to breath and cry, and then placed in a bucket in a corner to die. Down the hall another baby was born pre-term, only slightly bigger than the aborted baby, and in this room an entire medical team was fighting to save this life. He asks: "Who are we to decide which baby deserves to live?" Ron Paul concludes that unless we resolve this and decide that life is precious and strive to protect life, we cannot protect liberty.

Denise Graves is a Hayden Lake resident.