Sarah Palin: Contraception Rule Shows Obama 'Snookered' Notre Dame

Sarah Palin gave her two cents Tuesday regarding a religiously-charged piece of the Affordable Care Act's contraception rule.

On Jan. 20, the Obama administration announced that it was not exempting religiously-affiliated employers from a decision granting female workers birth control as part of their health coverage. As part of the Affordable Care Act, the new legislation prevents religious groups from denying women access to contraception for anything other than moral reasons. Under that reasoning, institutions like universities and hospitals would not be eligible.

That news prompted Palin to recall a Catholic university's decision to have the president serve as its commencement speaker. In a Facebook note titled "How Obama Repaid Notre Dame", Palin revived her reservations about a religious institution letting a pro-choice president speak.

Back in May 2009, during the controversy over Notre Dame's decision to have President Obama as their commencement speaker and honorary degree recipient, I gave a short statement to the Boston Herald: "My favorite grandpa, Clem James Sheeran, was Catholic. Irish to the core, his favorite place (other than church) was Notre Dame. I can't imagine what he would think as the university recognizes someone who contradicts the core values of the Catholic faith by promoting an anti-life agenda."

Palin then pointed to Washington Post columnist Michael Gerson's Jan. 30 take, which argued that Obama's contraception decision won't go unnoticed by the religious community.

"Both radicalism and maliciousness are at work in Obama's decision -- an edict delivered with a sneer. It is the most transparently anti-Catholic maneuver by the federal government since the Blaine Amendment was proposed in 1875 -- a measure designed to diminish public tolerance of Romanism, then regarded as foreign, authoritarian and illiberal. Modern liberalism has progressed to the point of adopting the attitudes and methods of 19th-century Republican nativists."

"And in this we see how the faithful at Notre Dame got snookered and how Obama has shamefully repaid their faith in him," Palin added.

Republican presidential candidates have also condemned Obama's decision on contraception. Newt Gingrich slammed the move at a rally in Florida on Monday, charging that "the Obama administration is engaged in a war against religion." Gingrich's rival for the GOP nomination, Mitt Romney, offered similar criticisms, calling the policy "a direct attack on religious liberty."

Religious leaders have praised Obama's pro-choice decision. The Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, consisting of more than 40 denominations, issued a letter thanking the administration.

"We believe that all women deserve access to affordable birth control, regardless of their employer, and we hope that, in the future, HHS will expand the same preventive coverage to women across the board," seven of the coalition's leaders wrote.

Comments

[rowf]

11:40 AM on 02/21/2012

Please send her away. She is pathetic in her obvious hatred of this President. Wonder why?

[Jack Knowlton]

11:29 AM on 02/21/2012

Some people have died, they just don't know it yet.

[johntangier]

09:46 AM on 02/21/2012

WHY IS THE VILLAGE IDIOT GIVEN ANY ATTENTION AT ALL?

[johntangier]

09:45 AM on 02/21/2012

actually over 54% of catholics were with president obama beofrew he gave them and exemption.

[solar diablo]

09:19 AM on 02/21/2012

Thanks be to Jesus we have people like Palin around, to remind us that Obama is out to deliberately and maliciously destroy the United States with his secret cabal of gay-lovin', God-hatin', Amurika cripplin' Chicago cronies. Start buyin' your burqas in bulk now ladies, because when the President declares us the Socialist Communist Kingdom of Allah, the prices are goin' to go through the roof.

You betcha.

[cddickey]

03:42 PM on 02/15/2012

you notice she isn't screaming too loudly about birth control? she's hoping for a brokered convention where she can 'jump in' because she figures she will get the 'womens vote', because all the 'dim braods' that never vote, will turn out with the idea 'yea, lets elect the first woman president...I'll give up birth control for that'...

[Susanmg]

12:34 PM on 02/05/2012

If the Catholic hospitals are employing only good Catholics, why would this even be an issue? Surely those women don't go against the Pope, the self-anointed voice of God on Earth? And if they are employing peopel who do NOT believe that the Pope speaks for God, and these people actually do not want unlimited children, or have health issues that require them to use contraception, or they just believe that they are not meant to HAVE children, they should be able to get the same health care benefits from a Cathiolic employer as any other. That is not denying anyone's religious freedom. That is ensuring fairness for all.
By the way, Sarah, you had your tubes tied...is that not contraception? Last I heard, you are not Catholic...what's your beef here? Oh, right, President Obama's health care plan. Which you supporte4d as Governor, and heck, even had an entire day devoted to telling Alaskans about end of life care etc...you know, those 'death panel thingys?' Yeah, you thought that was a fine idea in Alaska in 2007. Moron.

[stodd31995]

10:22 AM on 02/03/2012

The frontal lobe of the brain, science has proven, doesn't completely develop until the ripe old age of 26. So our decision process may not be the best. But what if the climate extremes of Alaska could delay the whole development thing? Hmmm...

[rowf]

11:50 AM on 02/21/2012

Please, don't make excuses for her, she's a foolish woman. And petty. And ridiculous. I could go on and on but I'm sure you get the picture.

[Muswell Hillbilly]

03:32 PM on 02/02/2012

How about weaning Alaska off federal aid, Sarah? Communist Alaska gets $1.80 in federal aid for every dollar it pays in federal aid.
Tend your own garden, Chariman Palin!

[amaboss52]

01:22 PM on 02/02/2012

WTF is she talking about?

[Lisa Manoukian]

11:35 AM on 02/02/2012

You'd think there was a mandate that every catholic actually be on birth control...? If these people are "good catholics" then they don't exercise the OPTION to have it covered. It's like abortion...noone is suggesting you MUST have one. If you choose to obey the commandments of your faith, you may. So, WTF?! Obviosly there is a huge concern that catholics will exercise this option, and the only way to opress their choices is to remove the choice. STUPID.

[Stop Lying]

09:04 PM on 02/01/2012

Bamboozled didn't fit in the palm of her hand so Snookered was the default option.

[biskitdaddy]

01:53 PM on 02/21/2012

It's funny when she starts using 'big' words.

[SkreetGil1]

08:17 PM on 02/01/2012

Her and her big words.

[ayisha]

05:17 PM on 02/01/2012

it is not the stupid things she says, it's the stupid way in which she says those things that makes it impossible to take her seriously. Palin has the gravistas of runner up for 8th grade class president. even her own cheering section have come around to realizing that she was only in it for the grift. why is anything she says even qualifying as "politics" anymore? the 'musings from the moose' belong somewhere between the entertainment and comedy sections.

[pciorlandosales]

04:20 PM on 02/01/2012

Palin calling someone else a radical? Now that's rich lol !! When will she ever go away :)

[ny1989]

09:43 PM on 02/01/2012

palin isn't a radical... she's a hard-core reactionary. Radicals seek change to a new system. Reactionaries seek reversion to past systems.

[pciorlandosales]

11:06 PM on 02/01/2012

Well since you do not have a dictionary let me enlighten you ....

RADICAL - favoring drastic political, economic, or social reforms: radical ideas; radical and anarchistic ideologues.

And that makes her a radical, yes it does :)

[biskitdaddy]

01:54 PM on 02/21/2012

She's more of an opportunist.