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When you believe in magic you can just stow your moral and ethical compass in your back pocket and whistle while you do God’s work.

“Estimates suggest that anywhere between 60 and 80 percent of migrant women and girls are raped on their journey as they travel across the southern United States border. But many of the organizations that provide medical care to these migrants are refusing to provide emergency contraception or make pregnancy-related referrals to girls who have been raped. What’s more, the religious organizations that operate these groups are opposing a move by the Obama administration to address epidemic rape of young unaccompanied migrants by requiring contraceptive care.”

I don’t know about you, but I’m whistling up a storm. It takes a great deal of raw tune-age to mask the sound of melting moral/ethical compasses.

“[…]the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) that would require federally funded organizations that house unaccompanied migrant children to provide victims of sexual abuse with “unimpeded access to emergency medical treatment, crisis intervention services, emergency contraception, and sexually transmitted infections prophylaxis, in accordance with professionally accepted standards of care, where appropriate under medical or mental health professional standards.”

The rule includes a clause that would allow faith-based organizations to offer external pregnancy-related referrals for unaccompanied children. Grantees that house unaccompanied children could deny services “on religious or moral grounds,” needing only to coordinate with federal staff members who would provide the services. But a letter submitted last week even objected to a referral requirement that would “impose a duty on the conscientious objector to refer for the very item or procedure to which it has a religious or moral objection.” What’s more, the letter co-signers want the ORR to free up organizations “from any requirement to provide, facilitate the provision of, provide information about, or refer or arrange for items or procedures to which they have a religious or moral objection.”

My belief in foolishness trumps your rights as a human being to receive medical care.  Or more bluntly – You, Girl-Child,  get to keep the rapist’s baby – because Jesus.

There is not a thicker blight on the moral order of the universe than wooly-headed religious beliefs like this.  I’m short on the indignation today, I just wrote a post about how awesome Jim Prentice and Tory rule has been for Alberta, so all I have left is to say that this level of callous fuckwittery is just plain ole’ evil.

Oh, and of course, evil has support in the GOP.

“At the time, Republican lawmakers like Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) unleashed a round of attacks against the Obama administration over its “anti-Catholic bias.” Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) stated that the USCCB was a victim of discrimination “solely because it fundamentally respects the innate value and preciousness of an unborn child and refuses to be complicit in procuring his or her violent death by abortion.” Smith has otherwise supported anti-abortion legislation that makes exceptions in cases of rape and incest for minors. Still, ORR continues to contract with the USCCB and other faith-based organizations to provide services for unaccompanied alien children.”

Somethings just don’t change. :/

The chance of being raped is quite high for women migrating to the US.  This reality that women face when they attempt to cross the border.  This is also the reality that the aforementioned Faith Based Groups stridently ignore…

[h/t: to recent commenter Muffy for bringing this article to my attention.]

[Source: Think Progress]