Did Republicans start the contraception debate, or were the Democrats Machiavellian geniuses that initiated it?

You're right. Republicans have been after contraception for a LONG time.

The Republican agenda for women and children is pure hate – it supports rape, murder, poverty, starvation, ignorance, pregnancy and slavery. You are probably aware that they just tried to pass a law in several states that would not only stop abortion, but deprive women of the pill, IUDs, and life-saving surgeries such as for ectopic pregnancy, or even if she needed cancer care while pregnant, she could not get it as it would harm the fetus.

The last GOP debate saw a surprising amount of consensus on the evils of birth control.

On Feb. 26, the Montana State Senate approved a Personhood Amendment (SB 406) on a 26-24 vote that would outlaw popular forms of contraception. On Feb. 16, the Oklahoma Senate passed that bill. The North Dakota legislature is expected soon to follow suit. Virginia passed that bill with the requirement for trans-vaginal probing against the doctor's and the patient's will, and then in the face of overwhelming national opposition voted to put it off till next year (only 6 Republicans voted to postpone it -- the others wanted it complete with vaginal probe right now). Personhood legislation lost in referendums twice in Colorado and once in Mississippi since 2008, but n at least a dozen states, anti-abortion activists are attempting to place such initiatives on the ballots this year.

http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s32...

Santorum: States Should Have the Right to Outlaw Contraception

http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/heather/rick-s...

And who can forget the GOP’s “Let Women Die Act?” http://veracitystew.com/2011/10/13/gops-let-women-...

Here is a list of misogynistic bills introduced by Republicans during just two weeks in February, 2011, showing what they want for women.

1) Rape: Republicans are actually trying to redefine rape to exclude drugging a women and raping her, or getting her drunk and raping her. After a major backlash, they promised to stop. But they haven't the language is still out there.

2) More Rape. A state legislator in Georgia wants to change the legal term for victims of rape, stalking, and domestic violence to "accuser." But victims of other crimes, like robbery, would remain "victims." Apparently in Georgia if a woman is raped, she isn’t really – is just an annoying accuser. Which means the rapist is not really a criminal.

3) Murder. In South Dakota, Republicans proposed a bill that could make it legal to murder anyone who injures or threatens a fetus, including a doctor who provides abortion care and the mother. He denies it has anything to do with abortion so I guess it is aimed at making it OK for a husband or boyfriend to kill his partner if he thinks she might injure the fetus- like in a car accident, or he just doesn’t like her anymore.

4) Starvation. Republicans want to cut nearly a billion dollars of food and other aid to low-income pregnant women, mothers, babies, and kids. But payments to corporations to not grow food, to keep prices high? Those are still in the budget.

5) Death. In Congress, Republicans have proposed a bill that would let hospitals allow a woman to die rather than perform an abortion necessary to save her life (so she and fetus die).

6) Ignorance and slavery. Maryland Republicans ended all county money for a low-income kids' preschool program. Why? No need, they said. Women should really be home with the kids, not out working. They should be slaves to their husbands instead.

7) More ignorance. At the federal level, Republicans want to cut that same program, Head Start, by $1 billion. That means over 200,000 kids could lose their spots in preschool.

8) Poverty and starvation. Two-thirds of the elderly poor are women, and Republicans are taking aim at them too. A spending bill would cut funding for employment services, meals, and housing for senior citizens.

9) Sickness. Congress voted on a Republican amendment to cut all federal funding from Planned Parenthood health centers, one of the most trusted providers of basic health care and family planning in our country.

10) Barefoot and pregnant. And if that wasn't enough, Republicans are pushing to eliminate all funds for the only federal family planning program. (For humans only - Republican Dan Burton, who supports eliminating funds for family planning has introduced a bill to provide contraception for wild horses. Horses have more value to him than America’s women?)

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/02/19/947301/-W...

Mock the link if you like, Republicans, but you can verify all this for yourself using Google.

Eight million more women than men voted in the last presidential election, so cons WILL pay for this at the polls.

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I was a setup and they took the bate. Knowing the republicans are trying to jump on any opportunity to take down Obama. The Republicans only have complaints without solutions. You also see them attacking police, fireman, school teachers, postal worker and anyone else the public loves. They have forgotten about the democracy. And the democracy will be the ones who decide.

It is not just women that favor birth control. The far majority of married couples utilize birth control either at particular points in their marriage or throughout. Birth control is not a controversial subject with most Americans....they clearly use it in far and away overwhelming numbers.

I agree with you on this argument. At this point it is a losing argument for Republicans. Accommodations were made that make Obama seem reasonable to most Americans. It would be unwise to push this further.

As to who brought this up and whether it was a strategic move on either part....I think both parties (in terms of the Presidential candidates) see benefit here (in one form or another). It does seem like a typical Santorum issue however (help or hurt....he loves that stuff)....which leads me to firmly believe it was stirred up for the greater part by him. To pit Obama up against the Catholic Church....with Catholics and otherwise....was NOT wise. There is a very good chance that Obama will win that battle....even with Catholics themselves (in terms of election votes).

The Dems started it a couple of debates ago when short George started asking questions about contraception and no one could figure out why.

Machiavellian... ha. They wish. They just gave Gingrich the opportunity to ask, at the last debate, why the liberal media tried so hard to ignore the fact, during the 2008 campaign, that the only piece of legislation that Obama ever actually fought over was a piece before the Illinois legislature that would have required doctors to provide care to an infant that accidentally survived a late term abortion. Obama fought that bill tooth and claw, and won, guaranteeing that such tough little survivors would continue to die, cold and uncomforted, in the medical waste bin.

What an admirable accomplishment: he got a bill passed that REQUIRED INFANTICIDE on the part of physicians and nursing staff.

Santorum is gaining women voters in every poll.

I agree with your analysis.

This election is about jobs, jobs, jobs - and all the republican clowns want to talk about is whether contraception should be legal or not - a subject that was fully discussed and settled in the 1960s and 70s.

That shows you how far right the republican party has really drifted.

@ Obama bin Stupid: wrong. I'm Catholic and Obama's got my vote - more than ever. Obviously, I know a lot of Catholics (many of the Hispanic), and the clear majority of them are staunch liberals. You need to get out of the house more and watch more than FOX.

Edit: I have read all the answers and it is both laughable and disturbing that cons blame Obama and the dems for the s**t that they keep stepping in over and over again as if they themselves have no free will in the matter.

I have no idea who first brought up the issue of contraception, but the four clowns vying for the GOP nomination are completely free to stop talking about it whenever they want to. The fact that they don't want to suggests to me that they (probably Newt or Santorum) first brought it up. Frankly, that was particularly stupid no matter which way you look at it because, while it gins up votes from the republican base, overall it loses far more votes than it gets.

Subtle but stupid. Sounds like Newt to me. It has his smeary little fingerprints all over it now that I think about it.

Democrats started it when George Stephanopolus asked Mitt Roment in a January ABC debate if states could ban birth control.

The question appeared bizarre at the time and Romney replied that no state was even considering it.

This was before Obama decided to force the Catholic Church to pay for birth control pills it believes are a sin.

This entire manufactured debate over birth control has been created by Democrats as a wedge issue that would improve their support among women.

Sadly there are enough gullible retarded liberals out there who actually think Republicans are going to ban the pill.

It will only help Obama to get the Traier Park women's vote.

Most of us intelligent people know that Obama over-stepped his presidential power. The president has no power under the Constitution to force the private industry to pay for anything, much less contraception.

this issue was brought up by Democrats as they do what they usually do. They bring up a 'red herring' issue then try to demonize the Republicans as they fight against the mis-use of government power.

Get a life Equalist. At least deal with the TRUTH once in your life

They are do not have a massage to American people only talking points of there master puppeteers.

This is such a media-driven bunch of bullshit. It is mindboggling, the lengths to which the media will go to whip a non-issue up into an issue just to steer a situation in a certain direction.

The Democrats are saying it's about religion, the media are saying it's about the GOP being contrary no matter what, and sensible fiscal conservatives are saying we don't want to pay through increased private insurance premiums and inflation passed along to the consumer for employer-funded insurance for people's $13-dollar box of Trojans.

Nobody is figuring out that the best way to prevent a baby is just to not fvck until the baby is wanted or the STD can be dealt with without the government's help.

Obama stubbed his toe against the First Amendment. Stupid Republicans gave his minions ample ammo (contraception) to deflect the issue onto themselves. Which allows Obama the slip. Sometimes I wonder why the H---Republicans keep allowing the media to shove Obama's foot into their mouths.

See why Obama could win and MUST be defeated? With or without Republicans.

Newt opened the whole can of worms with this speech on Obamacare:

"I will work with Congress to repeal Obamacare, and will defund Planned Parenthood so that no taxpayer dollars are being used to fund abortions-- but rather use that money to promote adoption and other pro-family policies. I will also support Congress enacting pro-life legislation that would grant protections under the 14th Amendment to the unborn, including legislation that would define Personhood as beginning at conception."

- Newt Gingrich on January 23rd