Psst it wasn't in the bill

The "HobbyLobby" case has lots of smoke out there, but as a pro life doc, I wonder why no one is pointing out that paying for contraceptives and abortifactants wasn't in the Obamacare bill.

Indeed, one reason the US Bishops didn't support the bill in the end (albeit being for socialized medicine since 1911) was that Obama refused to put an clause forbidding abortion in the bill. However, he promised verbally to insert it as a regulation, and by doing so, got the "magesterium of nuns" (to use Father Z's phrase) to approve of the bill, and gave cover to the few pro life Democrats who were holding out with the bishops.

So what has changed? Aside from the fact that Obama misled folks, I mean?

Well, immediately, an unelected panel of "experts" decided to put it as a mandated item.

In other words, no matter what Congress voted for, (and no one read it: Pelosi said they were waiting for it to be passed to read it, remember?), it doesn't matter.

But this has a much larger implication that no one wants to discuss: That an unelected panel of experts added this by fiat, and in the future, they will tell us docs what we are allowed to do, again by fiat.

That's why you are hearing about we shouldn't have mammograms because they are not saving many lives, and PSA tests that pick up early cancer also aren't needed, since many cases won't kill the man anyway. (read they are not "cost effective").


I always think of Mitchner's story "The Milk Run", where a million dollars are spent rescuing a pilot, and at the end, the pilot says: Yes, but it was worth it if YOU were the pilot...and since Bush I was rescued in a similar way, maybe it was worth it for him too).

And never mind that in the contraception part, the "experts" were chosen from a pro abort field, and that the experts on what works that will mandate what you get are also biased because they are chosen from groups that want to limit medical spending.

This decision is based on religion, but note the real danger is letting unelected "experts" decide your care, often based on analyzing lots of reports, many of which are biased or flawed.

Color me cynical.

Makes me glad I'm retired.