The failed Blunt amendment: Is the contraception fight finally over?

In Washington's latest culture war battle, the Senate scraps a GOP attempt to let employers ignore birth-control coverage mandates they disagree with

The Senate voted 51-48 on Thursday to table Sen. Roy Blunt's (R-Mo.) contraception amendment, which would have allowed employers to forgo birth-control coverage requirements if they objected
(Image credit: Brendan Smialowski/ Getty Images)

On Thursday, the Senate shot down a Republican attempt to overturn President Obama's requirement that almost all employers offer their workers health insurance that covers birth control and sterilization. One Republican, Sen. Olympia Snowe (Maine), joined all but three Democrats in the 51-48 vote to table Sen. Roy Blunt's (R-Mo.) amendment, which would have allowed employers and health insurers to refuse to cover contraceptives — or anything else they object to — on moral or religious grounds. Does the Blunt amendment's close defeat, coupled with the lack of action in the House, signal an end to the polarizing fight over "something that is hardly the top issue to American voters," or will conservatives be back with another challenge?

Conservatives won't quit — nor should they: "Democrats managed to wrangle enough votes to table the Blunt amendment" this time, says Ed Morrissey at Hot Air, but only after "a lot of ridiculous spin" over how this is a fight for birth control. It's not. Instead, this fight "has everything to do with allowing people to freely practice their religion without interference from government," and that's too important for conservatives to give up on. "Clearly, this issue isn't going away."

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