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Manhattan Diary by Cahir O'Doherty

Sean Hannity's all-male Fox News contraception panel

Posted on Friday, February 17, 2012 at 08:54 AM

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Who better to tell women how to make their own reproductive choices than a room full of religious conservative elderly white men? I mean, obviously right?

Clearly that's what Fox New's Sean Hannity concluded this week when he reflexively assembled an all-male panel to discuss women's reproductive rights.

President's Obama's healthcare plan requires contraception to be included in insurance coverage, which is a reflection of the longstanding reality that 98% of Catholic women in the US already use birth control.

Not so fast, cried Hannity's panel. We don't want hospitals, colleges or other religious organizations to provide birth control because if a women doesn't become pregnant every single time she has sex God gets quite irate - and so do we, they scolded.

This is really big issue for the right they claimed. We'd go to war over this.

Sensing their resolve Hannity asked the all-male panel: 'How many of you would be willing to go to jail over this?' All but three or four raised their hands. Oh, the drama. Then to further underline their point they did something that conservatives actually do every week on Fox News, they compared the Obama administration to Nazi Germany.

It was a move that particularly nauseated the Daily Show's Jon Stewart, who takes a special kind of offense at grossly unfair comparisons to Hitler.

'First of all, when the Nazis came for people, they also left with them. It wasn't a metaphor,' Stewart said, referring to one panelists Nazi claims. 'Hitler did not 'start small.' His deliberate annihilation of a religion didn't kick off with insurance reform.'

Stewart dismissively titled Hannity's all-male panel 'The world's holiest sausage fest,' and scoffed at its claim that a healthcare mandate amounted to a war on religion.

Really, he asked, how persecuted can America's religious institutions be when they collect up to $100 billion a year in revenue without paying any taxes? 'If that's persecution, it's the kind of persecuted I'd like to be," Stewart scoffed.

Just looking at them would probably be sufficient to dampen anyone's thoughts of love, but these men want to leave nothing to chance. They want to call the shots, no need to hear from women. Now who does that remind you of?

But in a metaphor that seems apt, it looks like the conservatives forces who have carefully crafted this 'controversy' have been shooting blanks - this ginned up 'controversy' is another in a long line of overplayed hands.

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| Feb 18, 2012, 11:25 AM EST

The item regarding the quaint customs of a local parish church in the West of Ireland that I referred to below is true. I was astonished to say the least when I heard about it some years ago. It wasn't difficult to confirm - although it appears that it wasn't considered an obligation but rather a traditional custom, the thing to do before the child was baptised, in short, the mother and child both being cleansed of the sin. It died out when the women, including my mother, refused the ritual trip to confessions before baptism. I do not know for sure but rather suspect that it was not a widespread practice. As for you Dillon, More astonishing than the above story is the fact that you have not yet been banned from IrishCentral. Your M.O. is to attack, insult, name-call and abuse. You rarely have anything of value to contribute. You have accused scores of people on this website of being racist, bigoted, liars and fools. Yet, as your own posts so clearly demonstrate these slurs utterly define you. More than anything, I enjoy a good debate, something you are quite incapable of. You, sir, are not worth my spit.

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GeorgeDillon | Feb 18, 2012, 10:05 AM EST

"even into the 1960's in Ireland (at least in my parish),a married woman was still required to confess her sin of seducing her husband into sex." You're a pervert and a liar, TomSwinford. What "woman" was this--your wife or your mother?

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GeorgeDillon | Feb 18, 2012, 08:46 AM EST

The GOP presidential clown show continues and with the latest contraception lunacy it seems that they are quite determined to commit national suicide by alienating more than half the U.S. polulation - women. Current front-runner Santorum does not believe in any form of contraception, not even the Catholic Church approved rhythm method for married couples. I watched a clip of Santorum last night on TV basically saying that sex for any purpose other than procreation is morally wrong. This is in line with 3rd century St. Augustine of Hippo, a giant in the Catholic Church, who, in his final years, was a raving lunatic, unable to reconcile in his demented mind the unalterable reality that sex was necessary for procreation but that it necessarily included pleasure, which to Augustine was an abomination. He gave us Original Sin, occurring, according to this holy man,at the very moment of male orgasm. Yet, the sin attached to the female - which is why, even into the 1960's in Ireland (at least in my parish),a married woman was still required to confess her sin of seducing her husband into sex. Much of our church dogma comes from Augustine who profoundly believed that women were evil, as much in the devil's image as men were in God's image, and always leading Godly men to do bad things. Incidentally, Pope John the 23rd, truly a man of God, who respected women and understood their unique burden, was not opposed to contraception, believing that married couples had the absolute right to choose their own methods of family planning. Alas, his successor, Pope Paul the 6th did not agree and in in his 1968 Humanae Vitae upheld the ban on contraception.

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hjfarmer | Feb 17, 2012, 06:24 PM EST

Hypocritical is the last thing I would say about Hannity. He is straight down the line, a line you obviously do not like. Propoganda, yeah maybe. An example of hypocrisy - today our democratic president was in Waashington congratulating Boeing on their work including parts they are receiving from plants in Kansas and South Carolina - -yes the same South Carolina plant his NLRB and union buddies wanted shut down. That is election year hypocisy. Again, facts are awful things.

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seanomelb | Feb 17, 2012, 05:36 PM EST

The sanctimonious hypocrites on the Hannity show are one why Obama will be re-elected. The only truth on the Hannity show lies on the cutting room floor.Credibility no longer exists in the GOP

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hjfarmer | Feb 17, 2012, 05:28 PM EST

Shamus - facts are a terrible thing. I was amazed on here a couple of weeks ago the number of people who think the money we have been paying into Social Security is there just waiting. I know I am changing the subject, but there are a lot of you who listen to garbage Pelosi (have to pass it before we know what is in it) and Reid (Social Security is not broke) say and just believe it without checking the facts. God help us all

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hollabackgurl | Feb 17, 2012, 03:06 PM EST

Catholic Bishops are signaling their intent to become the new Jerry Falwells. In addition to attacking contraception they'll also protest condom distribution for HIV prevention, they want to force trafficking and statutory rape survivors to give birth against their will, and they hate the idea that anybody, anywhere, might be holding gay weddings. Great issues! Very Christian. Forget the poor! They don't get headlines.

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SeamusMartin | Feb 17, 2012, 02:29 PM EST

Faux News is at it again. Any time and I mean ANY time a group of people are Faux the end result is already known. It is pure outright propoganda. What I can't believe is the conservatives don't get it. All liberals. progressives, independents, not to mention the rest of the world knows this. If it worn't so horrendous it'd be hilarious. Those on that program are all the more reason abortion in needed!

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hjfarmer | Feb 17, 2012, 02:05 PM EST

Sorry you are having such a hard time understanding that the issue is not contracption...you really seem to be hung up on placing aspirin between your legs. Enjoy, and I am sure Cahir gets a kick thinking about it as well. His recent post about the Church not caring for anyone after they are born is total nonsense. There is no match worldwide to Catholic charities as well as the things that Catholic hospitals and schools have done for the young. I am fair and to be fair, the church has screwed up a lot of times as well. But Cahir is not being fair and shame on him for that. I am guessing he doesn't thik that any charities know what is best except for handouts by the Federal government. That is about all gone.

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Nicomax | Feb 17, 2012, 02:02 PM EST

When religious organizations enter the secular world with hospitals, universities, etc. and not only employ people from a wide range of religious beliefs, or none at all, but also benefit from government grants, they need to adhere to secular laws just like all others.

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hollabackgurl | Feb 17, 2012, 01:40 PM EST

Sorry but the GOP has become so isolated from the American mainstream they would not allow a single woman to testify in the Issa hearings on contraception and religious freedom for Catholic bishops. Rick Santorum thinks the only birth control a woman should have is crossing her legs. Obviously men have no responsibility in the matter.

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hjfarmer | Feb 17, 2012, 01:23 PM EST

No hollabackgurl we are not and that is what is so crazy. We are discussing a government telling Christian religiions (this admin will never step on Muslims) that they have to support something that is totally against their relgious belifes. Catholic women use contraception and there is no one saying that it should not be available. But Obama is telling the church they have to support it monetarily. It is two issues - Obama giving money to some people from other people and Obama telling the Church they have to do something against their beliefs. Nothing about contraception.

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hollabackgurl | Feb 17, 2012, 12:54 PM EST

Here's Rick Santorum's take: "This contraceptive thing, my gosh. Back in my days, they used Bayer Aspirin for contraception. The gals put it between their knees and it wasn't that costly." Republicans, sensing that the economy is improving, have turned to 'social issues' in the hope of traction. But are we SERIOUSLY discussing contraception in 2012? Seriously?

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EphraimKibbey | Feb 17, 2012, 12:50 PM EST

Ladies, I agree with you. You should have the final say on anything that involves your health. What's happening in the Land of the Free? Will we soon be a theocracy? Will we give up on a founding principle of our country? The current GOP politicians are such a joke!!! This same law as O'Bama's compromise is in place in 28 states and in most of them it was put there by the previous generation of GOP politicians who back then, in the 70's, were mostly males. Back then males looked at contraception as a good thing. Back then William F. Buckley kept the Reactionary Right in check. Back then I was a republican born of a republican family. It is sooo transparent that the GOP is really disappointed that the economy is showing signs of life and depriving them of their 2010 message that they alone know how to create jobs. Of course once they got elected they have done zip to fulfill their election day promises. How many times do you have pass legisation saying that taxes can't be used for abortions before the 10% of Americans that care are satisfied? How about a bill that creates jobs you liars! Be careful who you vote for! Make sure you know what their real priorities are because some people will actually lie to get elected!

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hjfarmer | Feb 17, 2012, 12:27 PM EST

I am betting that Cahir did not even see this segment. The segment and the whole issue is not about contraception; it is about religious freedom; that is why clergy were discussing it and not a bunch of soccer moms. I am betting there was not a person who spoke one word against contraception. It was about forcing a church to against its beliefs have to monetarily support contraception. Way to gin up something out of nothing Cahir.

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