'Et tu Brute?' The Blunt Amendment: Why did these 'Catholic' Senators betray us?

13 Catholic senators voted against an amendment that would have protected religious freedom and women's health.

"Et tu Brute?" 

The Senate, including 13 professed Roman Catholic senators, has voted down the Respect for Rights of Conscience Act, leaving fellow Catholics in an unethical and unconstitutional position where they are compelled to violate their conscience under threat of law. 

WASHINGTON, DC (Catholic Online) - The final tally was 51-48, a narrow defeat for religious liberty - and one that could have been swayed to the affirmative by the votes of the Catholic senators who had the responsibility of casting the decisive votes.

The amendment, also called the "Blunt Amendment," was tacked onto existing legislation and would have allowed any US employer, not just those affiliated with religious organizations, to not violate their conscience or deeply held moral or religious convictions when providing health coverage to employees under Federal Law. Specifically, the plan would have allowed employers to opt out of paying for the provision of sterilization,contraception and abortion inducing drugs. 

The amendment is a response to the Obama administration's healthcare edict that requires all organizations to pay for 100 percent free contraception, sterilization and abortion inducing drugs for women, regardless of their religious or moral convictions. Failure to do so would bring punitive measures. 

House Speaker John Boehner promised the fight would continue. "I think it's important to win this issue," Boehner affirmed. "The government, our government, for 220 years has respected the religious views of the American people, and for all of this time there's been an exception for those churches and other groups to protect the religious beliefs that they believe in, and that's being violated here."

Generally, Republicans and Democrats divided along party lines on the issue with Republican leadership understanding this issue as a question of fundamental human rights, specifically religious freedom and freedom of conscience - as codified in the first amendment. Some Democrats did rise to the occasion to defend religious liberty. However, most Democrats are labeling the issue as a matter of "women's health" despite the fact that contraception and abortion are clearly proven to be dangerous to women and deadly to unborn children - the antithesis of health. 

If there is any silver lining to this issue, it is that people of all faiths as well as all genuine proponents of real women's health and concern for rights have unified under the banner of respecting religious freedom. This broad and growing coalition opposes the blatantly unconstitutional edict that threatens to force Americans, for the first time in history, to actively violate their moral conscience as a matter of law. 

Unfortunately, Catholics and those who support religious freedom have been betrayed by those in the Senate who adore their political party more than the freedom and well-being of all Americans.

Here is the full list of Catholic Senators and how they voted on the amendment. 

 Senator Mark Begich (Alaska, D) - Opposed

 Senator Lisa Murkowski (Alaska, R) - Supported

 Senator Marco Rubio (Florida, R) - Supported

 Senator Tom Harkin (Iowa, D) - Opposed

 Senator James Risch (Idaho, R) - Supported

 Senator Richard Durbin (Illinois, D) - Opposed

 Senator Mary Landrieu (Louisiana, D) - Opposed

 Senator David Vitter (Louisiana, R) - Supported

 Senator John Kerry (Massachusetts, D) - Opposed

 Senator Barbara Mikulski (Maryland, D) - Opposed

 Senator Susan Collins (Maine, R) - Supported

 Senator Claire McCaskill (Missouri, D) - Opposed

 Senator John Hoeven (North Dakota, R) - Supported

 Senator Mike Johanns (Nebraska, R) - Supported

 Senator Kelly Ayotte (New Hampshire, R) - Supported

 Senator Robert Menendez (New Jersey, D) - Opposed

 Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (New York, D) - Opposed

 Senator Bob Casey Jr. (Pennsylvania, D) - Supported

 Senator Pat Toomey (Pennsylvania, R) - Supported

 Senator Jack Reed (Rhode Island, D) - Opposed

 Senator Pat Leahy (Vermont, D) - Opposed

 Senator Maria Cantwell (Washington, D) - Opposed

 Senator Patty Murray (Washington, D) - Opposed

 Senator Joe Manchin III (West Virginia, D) - Supported

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