The permission slip above is not real, not yet. But it could be if the Senate passes the Blunt amendment, which would allow employers to deny insurance coverage for birth control if it conflicts with their “religious beliefs or moral convictions.” Just in time for today’s vote, the Obama campaign posted this mock-up of what the future could hold. The only thing they left out is that employers could deny coverage for any* medical service that rubs them the wrong way—from amniocentesis to vaccinations. Have a moral objection to bionic humans? There go the knee replacements!
* The Blunt amendment states: “Nothing in this title (or any amendment made by this title) shall be construed to require an individual or institutional health care provider, or authorize a health plan to require a provider, to provide, participate in, or refer for a specific item or service contrary to the provider’s religious beliefs or moral convictions.”
Update: The Senate voted down the Blunt amendment on Thursday by a razor-thin margin of 51-48.
