Put religious rhetoric aside

Is this really the dark ages? Again. Wait just a minute. I’ve been listening to the political media chatter about the “issue of contraception and insurance” with dismay.

I thought that we, as a nation, had come a long way toward being enlightened. We’ve gone through the freedom of tyranny, the abolition of slavery, women’s rights, equality among men, world wars, we’ve extended our life span, cured may of the world’s diseases and (wait a minute) we are now talking about whether contraception should be funded by insurance and whether or now women should even be allowed to use contraception ... again? Is this really an issue? Are the United States political leaders really sparring with the Catholic Church over this? What happened to the constitution and the separation of church and state? You remember this. According to Wikipedia it “refers to the distance in the relationship between organized religion and the nation state.” I feel like we are back in the time of the Spanish Inquisition. Perhaps the Catholic Church would rather round folks up who are not quite ready for child rearing (but enjoy a little sex) and send them off to be exiled or have them convert to some ancient ideology.

We have so many accomplishments to be proud of as a nation. We have come through so much together and have become stronger as a result. I really think it is time for our leaders to stand with the American people, put religious rhetoric aside and set an example for the emerging nations of the world and our own children.

Chris Cantele

Lisle