I confess. I’m contemplating calling all the Senators who voted for the Blunt Amendment yesterday to ask for a statement detailing:
- What the Senators’ history of reproductive choice has been, including details on what kinds of birth control they’ve used and who paid for it
- Whether the Senators (or their spouses) have used erectile dysfunction drugs, and who paid for it
Mind you, I think such questions are inappropriate. But given that 48 Senators–including 3 Democrats and 4 women–voted yesterday to say that employers should have really intrusive control over their employees’ healthcare decisions (including, but in no way limited, to reproductive health), it seems fair to at least inquire whether these men and women have been relying on birth control to plan their families, whether their use of birth control violates their religion’s stated doctrine, and whether taxpayers paid for birth control during their child-bearing years.
As you can see from the list below, the vast majority of Senators who voted for the Blunt Amendment are likely to have relied on birth control or sterilization to limit their family size. Just three–Susan Collins, Kay Bailey Hutchison, and Lindsey Graham–have no biological children. And just three–Mike Crapo (5), Chuck Grassley (5), and Orrin Hatch (6)–have more than 4 biological children (McCain and Blunt have more with their adopted kids). Of those likely to have used birth control or sterilization, 22 worked for local, state, or federal government during a roughly calculated “child-bearing” period of their life, meaning taxpayers may have paid for their birth control (though of course their spouses’ employers may have provided health care, too). Of those likely to have used more than the rhythm method, 10 are Catholic.
So I’m going to contemplate this over the weekend. But for the moment, consider that the great majority of the Senators who voted to let employers restrict birth control access seem to have families that have been shaped by birth control.
Note the following details are a first draft–please let me know of any inaccuracies.
Lamar Alexander (R-TN): age 72, married 42 years, 4 children, Presbyterian, some federal and state employ during child-bearing years
Kelly Ayotte (R-NH): age 43, married, 2 children, Catholic, state employee during child-bearing years
John Barrasso (R-WY): age 59, 3 children by first marriage, plus one step-child Presbyterian
Roy Blunt (R-MO): age 62, married 35 years, divorced and remarried, 3 children by first marriage plus one adopted child, Southern Baptist, county and state employ during child-bearing years
John Boozman (R-AR): age 62, married, 3 children, Baptist
Scott Brown (R-MA): age 52, married 26 years, 2 children, Christian reform, National Guard during child-bearing years, though with private employ
Richard Burr (R-NC): age 56, married 28 years, 2 children, Methodist
Bob Casey (D-PA): age 52, married 27 years, 4 children, Catholic, state employ during late child-bearing years
Saxby Chambliss (R-GA): age 69, married 46 years, 2 children, Episcopalian
Dan Coats (R-IN): age 69, married, 3 children, Presbyterian, Federal employ during child-bearing years
Tom Coburn (R-OK): age 63, married, 3 children, OB/GYN known to perform sterilizations, Southern Baptist
Thad Cochran (R-MS): age 75, married 47 years, 2 children, Southern Baptist, Federal employ during child-bearing years
Susan Collins (R-ME): age 59, engaged, Catholic, Federal employ during child-bearing years
Bob Corker (R-TN): age 60, married 25 years, 2 children, Presbyterian
John Cornyn (R-TX): age 60, married, 2 children, Church of Christ
Mike Crapo (R-ID): age 60, married 38 years, 5 children, Mormon, state employ during later chlid-bearing years
Jim DeMint (R-SC): age 60, married, 4 children, Presbyterian
Mike Enzi (R-WY): age 68, married 42 years, 3 children, Presbyterian
Lindsey Graham (R-SC): age 56, unmarried, Southern Baptist
Chuck Grassley (R-IA): age 78, married, 5 children, Baptist, state and federal employ during chlid-bearing years
Orrin Hatch (R-UT): age 77, married, 6 kids, Mormon, federal employ during child-bearing years
Dean Heller (R-NV): age 51, married, 4 kids, Mormon, state employ during child-bearing years
John Hoeven (R-ND): age 54, married, 2 children, Catholic
Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX): age 68, divorced and remarried, 2 adoptive and 2 step-children, Episcopalian, state employ during child-bearing years
Jim Inhofe (R-OK): age 77, married 53 years, 4 children, Presbyterian, state employ during child-bearing years
Johnny Isakson (R-GA): age 67, married, 3 children, Methodist, state employ during child-bearing years
Mike Johanns (R-NE): age 61, married, 2 children, Catholic
Ron Johnson (R-WI): age 56, married, 3 children, Lutheran
Jon Kyl (R-AZ): age 69, married, 2 children, Presbyterian
Mike Lee (R-UT): age 40, married, 3 children, Mormon, federal employment during child-bearing years
Dick Lugar (R-IN): age 79, married 55 years, 4 children, city employ during child-bearing years
Joe Manchin (D-WV): age 64, married 43 years, 3 children, Catholic, state employ during child-bearing years
John McCain (R-AZ): age 75, divorced, remarried, 3 adoptive and 4 biological children, Baptist, federal employ during entire life
Mitch McConnell (R-KY): age 70, divorced, remarried, 3 children, Baptist, county employ during child-bearing years
Jerry Moran (R-KS): age 57, married, 2 children, Methodist, county and state employ during child-bearing years
Lisa Murkowski (R-AK): age 54, married, 2 children, Catholic
Ben Nelson (D-NE): age 70, married, 4 children, Methodist
Rand Paul (R-KY): age 49, married, 3 children, Presbyterian
Rob Portman (R-OH): age 56, married, 3 children, Methodist, federal employ during child-bearing years
Jim Risch (R-ID): age 69, married 43 years, 3 children, Catholic, state employ during child-bearing years
Pat Roberts (R-KS): age 75, married, 3 children, Methodist, federal employ during child-bearing years
Marco Rubio (R-FL): age 40, married, 4 children, Catholic, state employ during child-bearing years
Jeff Sessions (R-AL): age 65, married, 3 children, Methodist, federal employ during child-bearing years
Richard Shelby (R-AL): age 77, married 52 years, 2 children, Presbyterian, city, state, federal employ during child-bearing years
John Thune (R-SD): age 51, married, 2 children, Evangelical Christian, federal and state employ during child-bearing years
Pat Toomey (R-PA): age 50, married, 3 children, Catholic
David Vitter (R-LA): age 50, married, 4 children, Catholic solicit(ed) prostitutes
Roger Wicker (R-MS): age 60, married, 3 children, Southern Baptist, state employ during child-bearing years