In what Bill O’Reilly refers to as the “Culture War” between Conservatives and Liberals, there are those on both sides of the fence that stray so far to the left or the right, they actually help the “enemy”. On the left we have Rosie O’Donnell with her anti-American rants which give Conservatives ammunition to shoot back at all liberals by associating them with Rosie. On the right, we Conservatives have our own villains which supply ammunition to the enemy. They are commonly referred to as the religious right.

I myself consistently find myself defending my writings against liberals who attack me for my “religious views”, although I never refer to God, Jesus, or the Bible when representing my opinion. The accusations of being part of the “religious right” do not upset me because I am an agnostic, they upset me because I do not agree with the ideology of the religious right, and in most cases I feel they push there views too far.

As an example, today I was reading an article from the associated press regarding Connecticut lawmakers approving a Plan B bill. The bill would require all hospitals to offer emergency contraception, which Catholic leaders claim infringes on their religious beliefs. Most are aware by now the Catholic churches opinion on contraception, and abortion for that matter, so this should come as no surprise, but as I said earlier there are times when some stray so far to the right they actually hurt the cause. This is one of those times.

The bill in question has nothing to do with hospitals supplying emergency contraception to every individual who comes in off the streets. This bill is specifically geared to provide emergency contraception to rape victims! The idea is, if a woman is raped, the hospital will be required to have the “Plan B” pill on hand, which can lower the risk of pregnancy by up to 89 percent.

“Barry Feldman, a lawyer for the Connecticut Catholic Hospitals Council, said Mansell is very disappointed. The state’s bishops must now consider their options, including possible legal action, he said.

“I know that he regards this as a blow to religious freedom in Connecticut, religious freedom not just of the Catholic Church and Catholic organizations, but every individual and every religious organization in the state,” Feldman said.”

It would be truly unfortunate if the Connecticut Catholic Hospitals Council did pursue legal action in this matter. I do not see how offering a pill which could prevent a rape victim from becoming pregnant constitutes a blow to religious freedom. The pill does not cause an abortion, it prevents an unwanted pregnancy from occurring. A woman who has been raped has already suffered enough, must she now bare the burden of carrying this child to term, and for the rest of her life be reminded of her victimizer every time she looks at her child?

It is due to actions such as these that Conservatives are labeled as uncaring, and anti-woman (as I myself have been called because of my stance on abortion). I appeal to the religious right, choose your battles more wisely. It is not only immoral, and inhumane to attack a bill which would benefit a rape victim, it offers liberals more ammunition to fire at Conservatives in our “Culture War’.

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Abortion