I've just read this article on Yahoo! News, describing how some Republicans allege President Obama's new rules on birth control coverage in health insurance is attacking religious freedom
the article states that Obama has proposed a new rule requiring most employers to cover contraception for women, which violates the beliefs of the Catholic Church, among other religious groups. that, Republicans say, is an attack on freedom of religion, our first right (if anyone asks, they got that one right. it indeed is the first right granted in the Bill of Rights)
hmm... this seems like a good argument. especially being an atheist, I'm in support of freedom of religion. but let's check this one out. what if a certain religion condoned or even mandated such bad things as rape or murder? freedom of religion?
see, obviously this wouldn't pass. the point is, religious freedom must be balanced with other needs, such as public safety, in the case of this hypothetical religion. in the case of birth control, some balance must be made. and, as the article and comments on it point out, there are exceptions
