Obama Not Only Attacking Catholics; Going After Women, Too

SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- At least one news report on Catholic bishops' reactions to a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services decision to mandate employer-provided health-insurance coverage of contraception, sterilization and drugs that induce abortions -- related to parishes around the country this past weekend -- was headlined "Catholics vs. Obama" (The Daily, Jan. 30 edition). Bestselling author Teresa Tomeo sees a battle line drawn against an entire gender -- not just this religion or that.

"There are so many things wrong with the HHS mandate it's hard to know where to begin," Tomeo said. "There is no question that this is an obvious attack on religious freedom and a direct assault on the Catholic Church -- as the U.S. Bishops and so many other faith and religious liberty leaders have stated. But it is also an attack on women. Artificial contraception hurts women and society in general.

"How many women are aware that the World Health Organization declared the birth control pill a group one carcinogen some seven years ago?" Tomeo asked. "How many women are aware of the dangers associated with abortifacients, and how many women realize that contraception has resulted in our gender being more objectified than ever before? This mandate is one more example of society, particularly women, having been sold a big fat bill of goods by those with an ulterior pro-death agenda. Women deserve better. All of us deserve better than what the HHS handed down on January 22."

In her book EXTREME MAKEOVER, available now from Ignatius Press, Tomeo digs deep into a media culture that bombards everyone with pervasive, toxic messages that objectify women. She advocates an "extreme media makeover" that will enable women, children and families to rid themselves of the toxic words and images that bombard them daily, and instead embrace the truth about themselves and their dignity.