Do not confuse a womens right to vote with testifying in congress. The walk out is classless. Jackie “I’ll take my ball and go home” Speier could have easily stayed and participated. Grabbing a cheap headline in lieu of doing her job is anything but civil.

People keep citing down stream costs. Yes the down stream cost will be higher if people have babies; if you expect the Government to take care of them from cradle to grave. The more the government gets involved the more things cost. Higher Education and Medicine are dominated by both the State and Federal Governments and the costs are out of control. The low income family now have to go into debt to get an education and go bankrupt when facing a medical emergency. We have to roll back the so called rights that have sprung up over the last 65 years and reduce the role of government in the life of individuals before it is too late.

If you will pay for my contraception then shouldn’t you also pay for my in vitro fertilisation. When does it stop? If this issue is so important to women’s health then they as individuals should have no problem paying for it.

I thought the walkout was within the bounds of civility and doing their job by calling attention to the irony of a bunch of old men pontificating about a matter of particular importance to women. The Dems requested that a woman favoring their position be allowed to testify and the request was denied. I suspect, for some of these guys, the 19th Amendment is not their favorite.

Whether or not insurance should cover contraception, with or without a government mandate, is a fair topic for debate. I have to admit that having insurance cover cheap, low-tech contraception (i.e. condoms) is debatable. However, many experts believes that doing so reduces downstream costs of pre and post-natal care from unwanted pregnancies and reduces abortions (which are not only troubling to many people but also expensive). Also, I would note that insurance generally covers vasectomies, apparently with no objection from the Catholic “red hats” or the members of this committee. Seem a bit of gender-based inconsistency.

Can some tell me when access to free contracepction became a right protected by the Constitution? Why should someone’s sex life be someone elses responsibility. If you are old enough to have sex then you are old enough to purchase your own contraception, it’s that simple.

Josh,

“That said, should a taxpayer-funded hearing be the venue for such a duel, especially if one of the duelers is denied a weapon?”

Be careful Josh. Sarah Palin used rhetoric like that and a congresswoman got shot. As a politically correct left leaning reporter you should chose your words more carefully. You never know, some crazy bible thumpin’right winger might take those words out of context.