Big news out of the State Capitol today. From The Arizona Republic:

The bill failed in the Senate on a 13-17 vote, but House Bill 2625 is not dead. Barto fought unsuccessfully for her bill, and then vowed to bring it back for a revote.

“Religious freedom is under serious attack, and heathcare is the latest venue for that attack,” Barto said. “HB 2625 does not remove Arizona’s contraception mandate, but provides a much more meaningful exemption for religious exceptions. … Even Jesus, under Obama’s definition of a religious employer, would not qualify because he served people of other faith,” she said. Asked if the bill is about healthcare or entirely about religion, she said, “This is definitely about the fight to preserve our religious freedom and our First Amendment guaranteed-right for freedom of religion.

[azcentral.com]

This article appears in Mar 22-28, 2012.

7 replies on “Birth-Control Bill Defeated by AZ Senate; Barto Pledges to Bring It Back”

  3. Politics in Arizona is not about what makes Arizona a better place to live–it’s about trying to embarrass Obama.

  4. “Even Jesus, under Obama’s definition of a religious employer, would not qualify because he served people of other faith” — a remarkable presumption, to assume that Jesus would object to contraception in the first place, given what he would be likely to understand about what life would be like if all sexual activity, especially that which took place in a standard marriage, was likely to result in children. All I’ve seen of his teachings deals with the lot of living breathing people, not those who might be considered _potentially_ unborn.

  5. I consider this and other christianist posturing by politicians to be a serious assault on my FREEDOM FROM RELIGION.

    In case these right-wing fanatical USAmerican Taliban haven’t noticed (or are too ignorant or dense to acknowledge) this nation’s “Founding Fathers” were trying to craft a secular state. Since most of them could be classed as NON-THEISTS when it comes to government they would be horrified at these disgusting bills.

    But then, it’s understandable. They are 100% WRONG about economics, cannot craft a budget that doesn’t kill people and/or feed more resources to the rich at the expense of the poor nor recognize the physical realities of life on Earth in the early 21st Century; this “social issue” crap is all they’ve got in their death throes as the last vestiges of “white power”…

  6. The promise to bring it back… under the umbrella of freedom of religion… I’ll never understand the “leaders” of this state.

  7. Who voted all these religious fanatics into our AZ statehouse? I was born & raised here and feel like AZ has been turned upside-down. When will these people get it through their heads that this is a private conversation between a woman and her doctor? Religion & politics have absolutely nothing to do with medical care. If your religion dictates that if you break a bone you must get it set by your religious clergy, that’s none of anyone’s business except yours. These Republicans who demand “less government in our personal lives” are liars–it’s obvious they want MORE. I’m beyond disgust and have notified my legislators to vote against this bill. I’m only one voice….any others? Better speak up before they start infringing on some other rights.

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