The Latest Lie: Obama's "War On Religion"

A new Romney ad says President Obama "used his health care plan to declare war on religion, forcing religious institutions to go against their faith." Apparently the Romney campaign can't find any criticisms of President Obama that are actually true.

The Ad

A new Romney ad says that the President is "forcing religious institutions to go against their faith" while showing a picture of the Pope, and asks, "When religious freedom is threatened, who do you want to stand with?"

Birth Control Is "War On Religion"

The background behind this Romney ad is that the new "Obamacare" health care law includes a mandate that private insurance policies cover womens' health care, including birth control. The Catholic Church opposes birth control, and the Romney claim is that by requiring insurance companies to provide birth control for women, therefore the President has "declared war on religion."

Churches are not required to provide birth control for workers in their insurance policies under the new law.

The Boston Globe reports [1] that in 2005, then-Governor Romney "required all Massachusetts hospitals, including Catholic ones, to provide emergency contraception to rape victims, even though some Catholics view the morning-after pill as a form of abortion."

Psychiatric Drugs Also "War On Religion?"

While the ad references Catholics, it does not, however, also claim that the President has declared war on Scientology. "Obamacare" also mandates that insurance policies cover standard psychiatric drugs to patients, which violates the tenants of Scientology.

In other election news, FOX News and the Romney campaign claim that the President's ads contain lies. See Romney says Obama, allies perpetuating lies in ads [2].

[3] [4]