Dems seek cash, votes in clash over insurance coverage for birth control

McClatchy Newspapers

WASHINGTON

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., says some Republicans are “waging war” against women by opposing insurance coverage for contraceptives, but, she said, there’s an easy way to fight back: Send $5 or $10 to help get more Democratic women elected to the Senate.

With public-opinion polls showing broad acceptance of contraceptive coverage, many Democrats are eager to capitalize on what they perceive to be a series of Republican missteps on the hot issue, confident that it will capture cash now and votes in November.

They won the latest clash Thursday, when the Senate rejected a plan offered by Republican Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri that would have allowed employers and insurers to deny coverage for contraceptives and other health-care services if they found them to be morally or religiously objectionable.

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