Do they, now?

The Obama administration has decreed that all insurance must provide free contraception to women. Catholic hospitals must now pay for contraception for their employees even though that is a violation of their religious ethics.

Judy Waxman, VP for health and reproductive rights at the National Women's Law Center said, "All women do use contraception at some point in their lives, and we think it should be available to them as a preventive health service."

Well, Judy, your premise is wrong. Not all women use contraception at some point in their lives. There are women who have chosen to never marry, and they have no need for contraception. There are women whose religious beliefs prevent them from using contraception. There are women who have medical reasons for not using contraception. And even if your premise is correct, what you think is of no importance. What is right is what's important, and it's not right to force someone to do something contrary to his religious beliefs, and it's not right to take my money to pay for contraception for a woman who shouldn't be having sex in the first place. Both those things are unconstitutional, no matter what you think.

Another point, Judy, is this -- most every woman uses sanitary napkins or tampons at some point in her life. Should we provide those free of charge, too? How about soap? Aspirin? Toilet paper? If we should provide free products on the basis that all people use them, then I can come up with a whole list of things and really pare down my shopping list.

Paris News funny for the day: My first impressions of the new publisher aren't very good. Here's a quote: “Most importantly, it’s been overwhelming the way the Paris and Lamar County community
have welcomed my family and I." One would think a newspaper publisher would have had enough English to avoid such a glaring error. Do they no longer teach when to use "I" and when to use "me"? And on the same page we learn that the Texas Workforce Commission is having a "complementary" dinner. Complementary to exactly what, they don't say.

"Provision upsets Catholic hospitals." The Dallas Morning News; August 8, 2011; p. 4A.