GOP Gives Up Fight Against Obamacare's Birth Control Requirement

       You wonder what's going on here. Clearly they've decided it's not worth the fight. Is it that the law has become more popular- since the Scotus ruling. among other things?

      "Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) hinted that Republicans in the House would not introduce legislation thwarting a new rule requiring employers and insurers to offer contraception and other preventive services as part of their health insurance coverage, signaling a softer tone on the issue."

      "Throughout the month of February, the GOP charged that the requirement, part of the Affordable Care Act, is an attack on religious liberties. Boehner himself insisted that the “the federal government is violating a First Amendment right that has stood for more than two centuries.” “If the president does not reverse the [Health and Human Services] Department’s attack on religious freedom, then the Congress, acting on behalf of the American people and the Constitution we are sworn to uphold and defend, must,” he added, and explained that a bill would be moving through “appropriate legislative channels.”
But with the new rule scheduled to go into effect on August 1, the Speaker signaled an unwillingness on Thursday to take-up the fight:

REPORTER: Next week, the plan to require health care plans to include contraception, sterilization will go into effect. You said last year that you guys were going to introduce legislation to address that, it never came up. What are you guys planning on doing?
BOEHNER: We’re continuing to work with those groups around the country who believe that their religious liberties are being infringed to try to come to a resolution of this issue. Sometimes resolving this issue can be done other than legislative avenues. So we’re continuing to work with them on the best way forward.

         http://thinkprogress.org/health/2012/07/26/591041/republicans-give-up-effort-to-block-obamacares-birth-control-requirement/

         ACA has become more popular since the ruling. I wonder if this change is partly due to this. No doubt a large part of it is that the GOP thought they could paint Obama as against Catholics but what it really did was paint them as against women.

        Still I wonder if the bill's increasing popularity or at least this part of it. Here's another story that seems to suggest this to me:

        "Rep. Larry Kissell (D-NC) voted against the Affordable Care Act in 2010 and was one of five Democrats to support repeal of the law earlier this year. But opposition to health care reform hasn’t stopped this two-term Congressman from taking credit for it."

         "In June, Kissel bragged about helping secure $379,167 in federal money provided by the Act “for a new health care clinic near China Grove in Rowan County.” “I’m glad to have worked to help secure this funding and will continue to make sure that our tax dollars are being spent here at home to put people to work and take care of our citizens,” Kissell said in a release and then dodged reporters who pressed him on the hypocrisy:

Asked about the source of the funding, Kissell’s office issued a statement.
“We leave no stone unturned in helping our local communities bring resources home, and are unapologetic about anything we can do to bring our tax dollars home and have them working for us here in North Carolina.”
Christopher Schuler, the Biscoe Democrat’s spokesman, said Kissell was too busy Wednesday and Thursday with House votes and meetings to take questions about the funding.

     "Kissel voted against the GOP’s first effort to fully repeal reform in January of 2011, noting that “It is quite clear that the Senate will not act on any repeal measure, nor will the President sign such a bill” and promising to fix the law. “We have a choice: we can look backward and have the same fight all over again, or we can move forward determined to make things better and focus on our economy,” he said in a press release explaining his vote."

     "Kissel has also “refused to endorse Obama’s re-election bid” and joined Republicans in voting to hold U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress."

      http://thinkprogress.org/health/2012/07/28/601501/democrat-who-opposed-health-reform-is-now-taking-credit-for-it/

      Seems to me time is on the side of Obamacare.