April 27, 2012 09:32 PM UTC

Senate Democrats Shut Down "Colorado Blunt Amendment"

•  
• by: Colorado Pols

UPDATE: FOX 31’s Eli Stokols:

“I appreciate how women feel about this but this is about religious freedom,” [GOP Sen. Ellen] Roberts said, venting about the tenor of the debate that, in her view, has been “twisted” into a partisan fight…

“This issue is important in accommodating religious liberty in health care. Government has moved into the health care industry. And the question now is how to do we continue to recognize the freedom of religion?”

Roberts also noted that the 12 Republican men in the chamber were “super-glued to their seats”, admitting that the party had decided to let only its women speak on the memorial. [Pols emphasis]

If you’re curious why Republicans didn’t let the men speak about this, watch them invoking the Nazis over the same resolution a few weeks ago. You won’t be curious anymore.

—–

In dramatic style, a photo from earlier this morning:

Associated Press:

Tempers and props ruled the Colorado Senate during a debate urging Congress to adopt the failed Blunt Amendment that would allow insurance plans to deny contraception coverage on moral and religious grounds.

Republicans were furious that Democratic women unfurled a banner in front of the podium spanning nearly the length of the Senate chamber showing several stop signs to indicate instances in which birth control could be denied. The symbolic measure has no chance of passing the Democratic-controlled Senate but was surprisingly let out of committee.

We can confirm this report that Republicans are apoplectic, even calling for the firing of legislative staffers who were involved in the production of the banner or who helped display it.

That seems kind of silly. In fact, we’d say the biggest reason Senate Memorial 12-003 made it out of committee at all, instead of quietly meeting its end, was a desire on the part of Democrats to make this resolution a very public “war on women” embarrassment for its GOP supporters.

Pictures being worth a thousand words, we declare this mission accomplished.