U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, a Washington Democrat, revived the bipartisan split regarding the Obama administration’s recent healthcare contraception rule Friday, by providing the congressional female view on the matter.
Senator Murray is one of several Democratic female members of Congress that reacted Friday to the male dominated House Oversight Committee hearing Thursday, regarding the new federal rule requiring health insurance plans to cover the cost of contraception.
Last week, President Obama made an announcement that organizations with a religious obligation to the rule would not be required to provide coverage of contraception, but that their health insurance companies still would be required to do so.
Rev. Bishop William Lori of Bridgeport, Connecticut testified at the House hearing Thursday calling the president’s changes to the rule “simply unworkable.”
Mr. Lori spoke at the hearing on behalf of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, who were outraged when the Obama administration announced the original contraception rule requiring religious organizations to cover the cost of birth control for female employees.
During that hearing, U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney lead a walkout by several Democratic female members of the House, in protest of the male dominated proceedings regarding an issue dealing with women’s health.
On Friday, Ms. Murray gave a floor speech slamming the Republican male dominated House panel on Thursday for not allowing more female voices to be heard in the contraception rule arguments.
U.S. Sens. Barbara Boxer of California, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire also gave speeches on the Senate floor Friday injecting more female Democratic opposition to the Republican male dominated House panel that was discussing a women’s healthcare provision Thursday.
“For many women waking up to this news this morning, it may seem like there is a swift and sudden attack on women’s health care,” said Ms. Murray Friday.
Foster Friess, a millionaire investor from Wyoming and key campaign donor to Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum, further infuriated Ms. Murray and other female members of Congress this week with his comments regarding contraception.
On Thursday Mr. Friess appeared on MSNBC’s “Mitchell Reports” with MSNBC correspondent Andrea Mitchell and joked that “back in his day” females used to place Aspirin “between their knees” for birth control.
On Friday, Ms. Murray appeared on “Mitchell Reports” and also reacted to that claim by Mr. Friess, as she sees that sentiment as representative of the Republican male approach to the contraception argument.
“From a panel of men talking about talking about healthcare choices for women, and the comment on your show yesterday about using Aspirin between your knees for contraception, I feel like I am waking up on a set of the mad men,” said Ms. Murray. “Its astonishing that this is what is going on, we are seeing these Republicans come out and talk about the deficit and all these other things that they care about. The policies they are putting forward here are frightening to women and their healthcare choices. We are not going to sit back and be silent, we are going to take them on.”
