Marco Rubio, Father Of 4: 'None Of My Children Were Planned'

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) gave a lighthearted personal anecdote this week amid a broader rebuke of the Obama administration's decision to disallow religiously affiliated employers from denying birth control coverage to female employees.

"I can tell you that none of my children were planned," the practicing Roman Catholic and father of four told Politico with a laugh. Apparently Rubio and his wife observe the Catholic Church's position of rejecting forms of artificial contraception.

Rubio, one of the more staunch anti-abortion senators and the only one to be endorsed by the Catholic Advocate PAC, has been one of the most vocal opponents of the birth control mandate since the administration announced it last month.

Politico reports on Rubio's recent analysis of the decision:

"I hate to question people's motives ... but I think this is certainly indicative of an ideology that the policy goals of an administration trump religious freedom," added Rubio, a devout Catholic at the top of the GOP vice presidential shortlist. "Is this really necessary? This is not a key provision of the health care bill. ... Why is this a fight they would pick?"

On Monday, Rubio submitted legislation to override the Affordable Care Act measure.

"This is a common-sense bill that simply says the government can't force religious organizations to abandon the fundamental tenets of their faith because the government says so," Rubio said of his bill in a statement.

Comments

[PedroAnimala]

09:52 AM on 02/07/2012

see, this is how the media creates a "super hero" out of thin air..

[itolduso]

10:47 AM on 02/03/2012

"This is a common-sense bill that simply says the government can't force religious organizations to abandon the fundamental tenets of their faith because the government says so," Rubio said of his bill in a statement." - Rubio ***************** So....the government would not be allowed to stop 'honor killings'? The government would be barred from outlawing 'female circumcisions' (the mutilation of female genitalia practiced by some religions) How about human/animal 'sacrifice'? Rubio needs to stop and think about what he's proposing.

[itolduso]

10:41 AM on 02/03/2012

there is nothing in the Health Care Act that would force anyone to use birth control, it simply states that organizations may not deny covering it for those employees who want it. What is it about 'Free Will' that these Holy Rollers are so against?!

[mybadday]

11:51 AM on 02/03/2012

So dear, if orthodox jews have city permits to open kosher restaurants that serve the general public, they have to provide free pork dinners to every non jew customer or employee? Or every muslim who owns a business has to provide a free dog to every customer/employee? Get a grip. This is about forcing people to buy things that go against their beliefs. You are an idiot.

[itolduso]

12:20 PM on 02/03/2012

They are NOT FORCING them to hand out birth control pills to every employee. They are simply stopping them from denying coverage of legal, vital health care services used and needed by the vast majority of American women.

[itolduso]

12:04 PM on 02/03/2012

So, if my church is offended by prostate exams I can demand that my husband's insurance company stop offering coverage of them to EVERYBODY?!

[Janetgv]

09:21 AM on 02/03/2012

Funny how the catholic church is against birth control, but in the 1960s they provided missionary nuns in Congo with birth control pills, just in case they got raped by the natives. Rubio is as hypocritical as the people that paid for his campaign.

[mcamp52]

09:16 AM on 02/03/2012

Rubio is a lying, crooked, cheating, corrupt creep. A perfect Republican.

[DARK STAR]

09:07 AM on 02/03/2012

There are so many things wrong with Rubio's bill that it should be tattooed on his forehead so that he can finally get around to reading it one day and realize that you can't tell your workers what to do even if you are a church. Government law is higher than church law, and thankfully birth control is a legal and necessary option for many, even those that work for your holiness...

[eep100]

09:03 AM on 02/03/2012

Don't you love how the Church believes only in "natural" birth control, like abstinence and rhythm method, but yet believes every bit of medical equipment that is affordable to a billionaire should be used to keep alive a person who is in a permanently vegetative state?

[eep100]

08:39 AM on 02/03/2012

How about this: if a Catholic organization can decide to usurp the law on religious grounds, maybe we should let the muslims do it too. Maybe they can require all of their female employees to wear a head scarf.

[KadejaLatefah]

07:51 AM on 02/03/2012

Besides being TMI - Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) gave a lighthearted personal anecdote this week regarding his unplanned children. There is a HUGE difference between getting pregnant within a loving solid marriage (like gingrich's many...) However, not all unplanned babies land in this happy place. Frankly after watch Nancy Grace for the past two years it is evident that we should provide more birth control to people who are not ready for "unplanned" pregnancies. And further - what impact does it have on you Marco? Birth control prevents unplanned pregnancies and with it abortions. Abortions should be a women's individual choice. It is not an easy decision or process. But men should have no choice in it really. The catholic church is ramping up their anti-abortion campaign in 2012 -while ignoring their sexual abuse harboring. and as a voter I wish people like Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich and all 'good' Catholics out there thought about this.

[Sanarae Brachelle]

07:21 AM on 02/03/2012

First is it me or did I read that this country believes in Separation of Church and State. When did the Catholic or Evangelical church become the Moral ground for this country?? I believe in 1 God and my God is the only one who will judge me and determine my destiny. Others may not believe in God and so his laws do not apply to them, but what it boils down to is that the GOP is not GOD and if they read their bible Romans 2:3 states "Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God?" so the GOP needs to pull out their bibles at home and remember that they are not GOD.

[Brooke2k]

07:57 AM on 02/03/2012

It is because of seperation of church and state a goverment cannot shove their agenda down a catholic hospital. What does judging have to do with it? You are telling a church to change their teachings of hundreds of years? Get over it and work at a non catholic hospital.

[bdgrizcp]

07:13 AM on 02/03/2012

Why is it that when something is 'made available', as seems to be the case here, clueless conservatives (like Rubio) feel it necessary to amp up their rhetoric with prejoratives like, 'are forced to' or 'are compelled to accept', as though this was something completely abhorrent to right thinking people, as in the following example. In the 2008 presidential election, we were forced to choose between a liberal democrat with moderate tendencies and a moderate republican saddled with a clueless conservative running mate. Marco, get a grip. This is contraception we're talking about. And this is not a Catholic country, whatever you might think. What disturbs me is that lately the right to lifers have been talking about contraception as if it were the direct route to abortion.

[Joseph Van Der Putten]

12:51 AM on 02/03/2012

If those who want to prohibit birth control and abortions live what they preach, how come they don't have 12 or more children, which was normal in pre-planning times ?

Republicans who tell other Americans how to live according to the Bible's teaching:
1. Don't seem to know that Jesus never uttered 1 word about abortion (he often spoke about helping the poor, something Christian Evangelical Republicans abhor).

2. How come so many prominent Republicans have NO, 1, or 2 children, instead of 12, 15, 20, which they might get if they did not practice birth control ? (How many children do Newt and Calissa have ? Zero point Nihil !

[KadejaLatefah]

07:53 AM on 02/03/2012

All great points. and agreed

[mumb]

10:51 PM on 02/02/2012

RUBIO is such a phony hippocrit!

[Mike Naz]

10:29 PM on 02/02/2012

Rubio is full of it. He has children within a marriage, There are many ladies who have 3, 4,,5,6, + children and claiming thay are single while collecting money. depriving the children of many things and creating a greater problem for everyone..this is more common , seen it too often here in Miami.

[KadejaLatefah]

07:54 AM on 02/03/2012

he is ignoring the immigration problems of florida, too. that taxes all americans.

[legitane]

09:51 PM on 02/02/2012

Not everyone who has sex wants children....

[KadejaLatefah]

07:54 AM on 02/03/2012

but according to the catholic church that is the way it should be...unless you are a priest