Thursday, February 16, 2012

No Women as Witness

So, here's a weird new story. A congressional committee holding hearings into the new rules of whether women who work for a religious-affiliated institution should have contraceptives included as part of their health plan refused to allow any women to testify before the committee. Here's the link:


I find this interesting not for the politics of the thing, but because of how it's an indication of people talking at cross-purposes because they're living in different worlds. For one side it's an issue of women's rights; for the other, it's first amendment religious freedom.

My thoughts:
(1) if a school or church or hospital takes public money, it has to abide by public rules. A faith that believes in miracles still has to follow the local fire code.

(2) it's a sad commentary that when assembling a panel of ten religious leaders to serve as witnesses, they cdn't turn up a single woman in a prominent position.

--John R.

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