Nancy Pelosi Rips GOP Over Birth Control: I May Be 'Moved To Explain Biology To My Colleagues'

WASHINGTON -- House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Thursday ripped House Republicans for holding a contentious hearing on birth control that included next to no female witnesses and even prevented one progressive woman from testifying, suggesting that she may need to step in and teach her male GOP colleagues a thing or two about the issue.

"I think it's really curiouser and curiouser that as we get further into this debate, the Republican leadership of this Congress thinks it's appropriate to have a hearing on the subject of women's health and can purposely exclude women from the panel," Pelosi said during a press conference. "What else do you need to know about the subject?"

"If you need to know more, tune in, I may, I may at some point be moved to explain biology to my colleagues."

Pelosi's remarks came shortly after three House Democrats walked out of a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing on religious liberty and birth control in protest of Chairman Darrell Issa's (R-Calif.) refusal to allow a woman to testify in favor of the Obama administration's contraception rule. The morning panel at the hearing consisted exclusively of men from conservative religious organizations.

A second panel included two women, but both were critics of Obama's birth control mandate, which does not exempt religiously affiliated employers from having to include contraception in employees' insurance coverage. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) told reporters in the hallway outside the hearing that she marched out because it was being conducted like an "autocratic regime."

"Five men are testifying on women's health," Pelosi said. "Where are the women? Imagine having a panel on women's health and they don't have any women on the panel."

She paused, and then added, "Duh!"

UPDATE: 1:35 p.m. -- Issa spokeswoman Becca Glover Watkins later criticized Pelosi for ignoring the fact that two women were scheduled to testify at the hearing.

"Rep. Pelosi is either ill informed or arrogantly dismissive of women who don’t share her views. Today’s hearing does in fact include two women, Dr. Allison Garrett of Oklahoma Christian University and Dr. Laura Champion of Calvin College Health Services," Watkins said.

Comments

[maggiemi56]

05:18 PM on 02/23/2012

I think Nancy Pelosi should be the "poster child" for "birth control"

[No Dogma Freedom]

03:41 PM on 02/20/2012

This is the path of the Fundamentalists: You see, you take away public Hospitals, but charge the people for their hospitals, same with food banks and homeless shelters.

Why? You force the poor to both convert to their faith - if not they get none, if they walk, you still implanted in their heads, the fundamentalist way. Propaganda came from the church as indoctrination-- real masters at the mind messing and force game.

Men en mass, have hard time finding a clitoris, for them to know the female biological system, is like asking a Tyrant to have compassion. The GOP men, seeing women as evil, witches, that are still are under the sway of the moon, and earth must render them back to male control:

For women to the Rightists is of all things:

1) Evil by birth (APPLE EATER!)
2) Dumb
3) Errant children
4) Moraless
5) Ethically driven by the moon and earthily ways: she even has a period by the half moon!

Thus woman is a child, needing male guidance, censor and control or Lilith may come, and of all things ask them to be human- by compassion or by decree! The horor of it- right boys: I guess we just sell the guns in church and body bags for women who die of your contempt!

[lovingthechaos]

03:17 PM on 02/18/2012

Does anyone else find it hilarious all of the right wingers in here are suddenly singing the praises of Planned Parent Hood?

[1525cj]

01:28 PM on 02/18/2012

Liberals huffily ask why it’s so important to the Catholic Church not to pay for insurance plans that cover birth control, but the better question is: Why is it so important to liberals to force them to?

The answer is: They want the government giving official sanction to birth control and, later, abortion. That comes next. They want it for same reason gays want gay marriage — it’s purely symbolic of a much larger, insidious agenda. Just watch and see this unfold.

Wake up people..we are slipping into a new form of government. Be careful what views you hold and votes you make.

[Robyn Blanpied]

09:39 AM on 02/19/2012

How about sanctioning allowing the government to control what you do with your body? Freedom and human dignity is insidious. It's sooooo much harder to make slaves out of free people. Fanatics, not so hard.

[ddellapiana]

06:59 AM on 02/23/2012

Actually, that's bull. The majority of the American people view birth control as a basic health care issue. This is not a theocracy; it is a Democracy. Our elected officials answer to the people and carry out the will of the people, not the will of the few. Our government is not beholding to any church or religious organization. How about this? Let's get rid of the deficit by revoking the 501(c)(3) status of all churches as long as they intend to interfere with legislation and participate in elections. The laws are very clear on that.

The church, any church, can counsel its flock about what it should and should not do, including birth control. That's where their participation should end.

[1525cj]

02:21 PM on 02/24/2012

No, it is not. There is no debate on anyone's freedom to access birth control or abortion. Or whether some view it as "health care". Everyone is free and can get access within 5 minutes just about anywhere if they want these services. The issue is mandating or forcing all private insurance companies, employers, and religious institutions to promote, pay for and 100% cover these products. Forcing those people who find such products gravely immoral and against the God given gift of life. Birth control and abortificients (and soon 100% abortion coverage) is not a light issue in our country no matter if you are a christian, muslim, atheist, or whatever. People who find these things opposed to their conscience or their God should not be forced by the government to be complicit in such things. These individuals will be forced to pay the higher premiums in order to cover the costs of these products by the insurance companies. Our democracy is looking a lot like socialism. All this will hurt Obama in the election for sure. No need to get angry. The truth will prevail in the end.

[mudshark12]

11:56 PM on 02/17/2012

I wouldn't mind if Nancy were to go down the line and kick them all where it really hurts!

It would serve them right for being the indifferent, cold & callous misogynists they are.

[Imissgeorgew]

09:38 PM on 02/17/2012

This woman has soup for brains. Would we ever listen to a back-door Catholic who supports partial birth abortion.

[goatini]

09:56 PM on 02/17/2012

Since so-called "partial birth abortion" is a non-existent procedure, the name ginned up by a right wing theocratic think tank with intent to propagandize the ignorant, I think I know in whose cranium the soup actually is.

[pamela18335]

11:21 PM on 02/17/2012

Goatini, you are SO fanned and faved!

And your microbio is exactly what these idiot conservatives want us to be.

[Imissgeorgew]

01:46 PM on 02/18/2012

Okay - you keep telling yourself that late-term abortions don't exist. There are plenty of women in south Philly who will disagree with you. So-called Dr. Kermit Gosnell was a well-known butcher who had no issue with this procedure. He even kept fetuses in jars with alcohol. He specialized in partial-birth abortions. I guess you missed this all over the news as you were probably busy in an OSW protest.

[Gaspar Ramsey]

09:22 PM on 02/17/2012

"Dr." Allison Garret is a Ph.D in Education, and her testimony would have no relevance when speaking about women's health. Dr. Laura Champion is a real MD, but a General Practitioner with no particular expertise on the subject. The fact that she is affiliated with St. Mary's hospital indicates a mindset that is probably Catholic at heart. I would not send my daughters to her for advice on female matters. She may be good at treating sniffles, but why not an OB-GYN to testify instead? Couldn't find a specialist who would hew the party line?

[lukylip98]

06:39 PM on 02/17/2012

Obamacare sits before the supreme court and is likely to be declared unconstitutional.
All this may be moot.

[Gaspar Ramsey]

09:23 PM on 02/17/2012

You wish. Fact is, only certain small parts are up for judicial review. You had better accept the rest as law, because it will be in 2014.

[lukylip98]

09:38 PM on 02/17/2012

The mandate part is the problem. I have no problem with single pay but the mandating to purchase from a privately owned insurance company is a big problem and has never been done but we will see.

[lukylip98]

06:33 PM on 02/17/2012

Well, this is what happens when you can't pass a single pay or a national health care program.
Welcome to Obamacare and all it's political and other messes. If Obama was on firm footing, he won't have made a compromise.

[TruthRains]

04:25 PM on 02/17/2012

Many of the posts on here are by irrational people who say they don't want to pay for women's birth control if they don't believe in it. Well, my friends, we all have to pay for things we don't believe in. My tax dollars go to pay for Republicans in Congress and I have no belief in anything they say or do. So, let that malarky go.

[1525cj]

06:13 PM on 02/17/2012

You have missed the entire point moderator! This is not a religious issue. It is a freedom issue. Why should I be forced into higher premiums (since all insurance companies will be forced to pay for this somehow) for someones else's family planning, sexual behavior, or abortion inducing drugs???? Insurance is not supposed to be for normal expenses in the ordinary course of events, such as multivitamins, house painting or oil changes. Insurance is for unexpected catastrophes: fires, accidents, cancer.

Filling up your gas tank, for example, is not an unforeseen disaster (though it’s getting to be under Obama).

So why is birth control covered by insurance? Birth control pills aren’t that expensive — generics are about $20 a month — nor is the need for them a bolt out of the blue. Why not have health insurance cover manicures, carrot cake and nannies?

Liberals huffily ask why it’s so important to the Catholic Church not to pay for insurance plans that cover birth control, but the better question is: Why is it so important to liberals to force them to?

The answer is: They want the government giving official sanction to birth control and, later, abortion. That comes next. They want it for same reason gays want gay marriage — it’s purely symbolic of a much larger, insidious agenda. Just watch and see this unfold. You all deserve this administrations sour grapes!

[lovingthechaos]

10:43 AM on 02/18/2012

The insurance company saves money when women practice family planning. ONE birth costs more than an entire lifetime supply of birth control. For every dollar they spend on Birth Control they save $4. It's basic math.

And some Birth control costs $20, some costs $100 - per month. Not every woman can take the same type of Birth Control.

IT is also very common for Dr's to treat other ocnditions with Birth control medication. I know someone who had pre-cancerous uterin fibroids & had to take Birth control to save her life. Uterin cancer is one of the most deadly out there. She eventually had a hystorectomy, and no longer needs them. She had insurance, but had to pay for these life saving drugs because of the exclusion.

You are on the wrong side of this argument.

[wildwest2012]

06:52 PM on 02/17/2012

LOL! Darn YOU are good! Faved...already fanned you!

[Bethann314]

09:44 PM on 02/17/2012

I'm just adding this for the sake of adding it: There's a big difference between the idea that we are helping society immensely by paying for free birth control, cancer screenings and reproductive education....VS. Obamacare. I just want to note that there are so many people out there who oppose it who also vehemently support reproductive rights & education, etc. (i.e. we are pro-Planned Parenthood).

[TruthRains]

03:58 PM on 02/17/2012

Catholics have no right to tell anyone how to control their own bodies. If their female members choose to abide by their no birth control rule, that is up to them. Women who are not Catholic should not have their rights taken away by that church. You cannot deny a group of people, as a whole their rights, according to the Civil Rights Act. That is what this is about.

[lukylip98]

06:26 PM on 02/17/2012

"We moderates are taking back America" and you have a picture of Obama.
Priceless!

[wildwest2012]

07:14 PM on 02/17/2012

Your point is???

[Bethann314]

09:45 PM on 02/17/2012

Are you aware that Obama is more conservative than Reagan was?

[mrsrsw]

03:00 PM on 02/21/2012

You wrote: "Women who are not Catholic should not have their rights taken away by that church." That's BS! Women who are not Catholic can FIND ANOTHER EMPLOYER who will insure their Pills or whatever. They still have the freedom to choose who they want to work for. They are in no way forced to work for Catholics.

Unfortunately none of us can LEAVE this out of control Government Gone Wild wasting all our money on BS like this. Using your logic, Liberals have no right to force Catholic taxpaying citizens to pay for birth control, but our tax money funnels millions to Planned Parenthood anyway regardless of how we feel or think about it. So, what about our civil rights? They don't matter? Also, those women (whose employers presumably refuse to pay for birth control) can still get it free at PP.

[kellywelch]

03:42 PM on 02/17/2012

If they win this battle, then there will be a firestorm of other things that employers are "morally" opposed to including in their health care. That will be like opening the pandora's box of exclusions from your insurance, so that the company can save some money.

Scientology thinks mental illness is fake - so no prescriptions for depression, anxiety, bi-polor or schizofrenia. Christian Scientists don't believe in any kind of medicine so NO coverage at all. Etc.

Oh, and WHERE ARE THE JOBS!!!

[wildwest2012]

03:55 PM on 02/17/2012

YOU ARE EXACTLY RIGHT! Well said! Our country can not set a precedent with this....

[mrsrsw]

03:01 PM on 02/21/2012

Muslims don't believe in insurance so they are EXEMPT ENTIRELY from Obamacare. How fair is that?

[kellywelch]

11:09 AM on 02/22/2012

I had never heard that so I just looked it up and found it to be untrue.

http://www.factcheck.org/2010/05/dhimmitude-and-the-muslim-exemption/

[mzkitti]

03:32 PM on 02/17/2012

Fox Panel: Liberals Support Birth Control To ‘Get Rid Of The Poor’ | Taking the war on birth control to the paranoid extreme, the panel on Fox News’ “The Five” agreed this afternoon that contraception is really scheme of the left to eliminate poor people. Often-sarcastic co-host Greg Gutfeld first floated the idea, saying, “it’s more about getting rid of the poor.” “The right want the poor to get rich, the left want the poor not to exist,” he added. “It’s not a bad point,” former Bush Press Secretary Dana Perino chimed in. Co-host Andrea Tantaros added, “Yeah, population control.”
“Did you really just say that?” liberal co-host Bob Beckel responded flabbergasted.

[wildwest2012]

03:58 PM on 02/17/2012

It IS flabbergasting!

[What s wrong]

03:14 PM on 02/17/2012

It's typical of Pelosi to direct attention away from the real issue. That's her attempt to scare women into believing ,the world will come to it's end because the religeous community
won't dispense birth control!

Anyone that buys into her "it's about birth control" is really out of touch with reality
and her history of " now we'll find out what's in it " not knowing what she's doing!
The astonished look she had when she said " I may be moved to explain biology to my colleagues" was the funniest line she's come up with so far!

It was amazing to see that everyone with a modecum of learning ability got that it's about seperation of church and state!

[TruthRains]

03:49 PM on 02/17/2012

It's about a women's right to have access to birth control. Period. It's not about religion.

[What s wrong]

04:15 PM on 02/17/2012

Go cry on the shoulder of planned parenthood, they dispense contraceptives free of
charge. If women would learn, and then teach their children to use them properly
a large amount of abortions might be prevented!

Yes they have a right to access, so if you choose, you can pay for it.
I'm not a member of any church, however will not be FORCED by anyone to pay for it!

[pjburke]

04:14 PM on 02/17/2012

So you're going to bumble on in here, not knowing one single thing about the subject at all, and blather on about how it's "this" and "not that."

Seriously?

Your own words demonstrate that you don't have even one ounce of familiarity with the 'reality' of this issue... you don't know the laws that drive this, how the court cases have been decided or where they've been litigated... and you even top it off with a fabricated quote that everybody has known --for years-- is a fabricated quote.
_____

"...everyone with a modecum of learning ability got that it's about seperation of church and state!" [sic]

Anyone with a modicum -- M O D I C U M -- of learning understands that it is NOT "about" the "separation" -- S E P A R A T I O N -- "of church and state."

David Boies, noted constitutional lawyer:

"There really isn't a constitutional issue involved here... Everybody is free to exercise the religion that they choose.[But] there isn't anything in the Constitution that says an employer, regardless of whether you are a church employer or not, isn't subject to the same rules as any other employer."
_____

That guy does constitutional law -- trying serious cases at the appellate level -- for a living. I think he'd know whether there was a constitutional issue here... and there's no reason for him not to say so if there was one.

Go get yourself tethered to reality.

[TruthRains]

04:27 PM on 02/17/2012

You are seriously fanned, friend.

[jaqaloo]

04:52 PM on 02/17/2012

If there is a serious argument that this is unconstitutional, it would likely come from Michael McConnell, a constitutional law professor at Stanford and member of the Hoover Institute. He has served on the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, and was on W's short list of potential Supreme Court appointees. He is one of very best lawyers on Church and State in the country, and he is a conservative.

I guess the reason he wasn't invited is that the GOP might not consider him to be a true conservative. When he was a professor at the University of Chicago Law School, he got a young Harvard Law grad a job teaching constitutional law there, because McConnell was highly impressed by note the Harvard guy had written regarding on of McConnell's articles regarding Constitutional law. The Harvard guy, of course, was Barack Obama.

I wonder when was the last time McConnell and Obama talked. . .

[Czechster]

02:54 PM on 02/17/2012

Again the Catholic Church does not represent all of Christianity? The one thing that I have experienced is that the republican men are okay with illegitimate births but will not hesitate to cut assistance to single mothers. Now the Catholic Church wants the US taxpayers to pay for the illegitimate childbirths, never pursue the father for responsibility and financial assistance, or take care of these children. They are quick to claim it’s the taxpayer’s responsibility.

[Lady1genius]

09:39 PM on 02/17/2012

All of Christainity?? Really? They don't even represent all Catholics. I'm a recovering Catholic, but thirty years ago when I was still in the church, I didn't know a single young bride like myself who was NOT using contraception in defiance of the clergy. The size of the families in the pews not being what they once were, the clergy either knows the score or believes they rythym method has been perfected, LOL. I vote for the first, as if something doesn't make sense, it just isn't true.
The bishops claim that they can deliver some monolithic "Catholic vote" is a fantasy. It just doesn't exist anymore. Those Catholic women like their contraceptives and won't vote for some whack-job who wants to take it away.