Women Rally In Front Of The White House To Protest HHS Mandate, Media Ignores The Story

Last updated on: January 24, 2017 at 5:19 pm by Frank Weathers

Women Rally In Front Of The White House To Protest HHS Mandate, Media Ignores The Story 2017-01-24T17:19:09-05:00 Frank Weathers

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

It happened yesterday. From what I gather, no one was arrested or anything. Unfortunately, no one from the mainstream media outlets covered the story either. Sandra Fluke wasn’t there, so it wasn’t newsworthy. Figures.

If a tree falls in the woods and nobody hears it, does it make a noise?

On the positive side, the Washington Post did give Helen Alvaré, and Meg T. McDonnell of Women Speak For Themselves some room in the On Faith section yesterday morning to give Five Reasons Why Women Care About HHS’ Contraception Mandate. Here is a snip,

Today, when the Department of Health and Human Services’ “contraception mandate” was scheduled to begin, members of Women Speak For Themselves (WSFT)—a grassroots women’s religious freedom group—are demonstrating in Lafayette Park across from the White House. Though HHS postponed implementation of the mandate for religious non-profits to January 1, 2014, the women of WSFT don’t want anyone to believe that the cause of religious freedom is forgotten. And they don’t want anyone buying the phony message the government is selling (in the words of one of our members, Rachel): that “women care more about free birth control than freedom of religion.”

The 40,000 women of WSFT have many reasons for opposing the mandate. Here are their top five:

Women really care about religious freedom. In the words of pollster George Gallup, Jr.: “A mountain of Gallup survey data attests to the idea that women are more religious than men, hold their beliefs more firmly, practice their faith more consistently, and work more vigorously for the congregation.” (George H. Gallup Jr., Why Are Women More Religious, December 17, 2002.) Furthermore, religion provides a rock solid foundation for women’s radical equality with men. There’s nothing like Genesis’ assurance that women were created to “image God” equally with men, or the New Testament’s account of women’s role in salvation history. Politicians and corporate America pay us intermittent attention when pressured. But the religious case for women’s equality never flags.

Women have founded, and run or work for, many of the religious institutions the mandate threatens. Many of the religious institutions the mandate threatens were founded by religious women in order to pay attention to the people the mainstream ignored: females, slaves, immigrants, the poor. Many of the women in our organization have worked for such religious institutions and are loathe to see their lights dimmed, or even put out. There is a special delight in working for a religious hospital or school or social service. It comes in part from understanding that, at the end of the day, we are united on matters of faith, even if we disagree about this or that smaller thing. This is no place for the federal government’s heavy hand. It’s no place for its letters sent home to us and our minor daughters, or for mandatory speeches from the mouths of our insurance providers—assuring us annually that the religious employers we chose to serve don’t know what’s good for us; D.C. bureaucrats do.

Approving of birth control doesn’t mean you want the government pushing it.

Read more reasons here. There is also some coverage of the event over at the Weekly Standard. Want updates? Follow the Women Speak For Themselves Facebook page.

Not In the News But Should Have Been

Women Speak for Themselves

Previous Post

August 2, 2013

What Millennials Really Want From The Church

Next Post

August 2, 2013 Which Pope Said What? Take The New York Times Challenge

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Blog News Conversion Story Culture Learning Living Nature Prayer Uncategorized Working

Select a Month June 2016 May 2016 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What Christian tradition is associated with the seven sacraments?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Quakerism Roman Catholicism Protestantism Seventh-day Adventism