The national firestorm over the HHS contraceptive mandate and conscience rights, President Obama’s ‘war on the church’ and constitutionally protected religious liberty is a confrontation necessitated by unprecedented government action. But all that fire is distracting us from the spark of ignition: Why did the federal government mandate health insurers to cover contraception, sterilization and the morning after pill in the first place?

Why these particular drugs, of all things? Why not other “preventive health services” of which there’s a wide array? They (HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and President Obama) claim it’s because they’re keenly intent on providing healthcare “for the health of women and families,” but nothing is provided for, say, infertility treatment for women who want to become pregnant and couples who want a family.

I saw a spokeswoman for the ‘Reproductive Rights Center’ vigorously arguing for this mandate and wondered…what are “reproductive rights”? There’s no reproduction going on in their business and the rights they represent are limited to choosing or endorsing or providing for their services, which are contraception and abortion.

Under the administration of the most pro-abortion president in American history, the abortion movement has grown into a mafia-style outfit, with power and clout that was well known but still somewhat hidden until the Komen takedown two weeks ago. Planned Parenthood is advising the White House, which is how we got to this point in US history with drugs that can be both carcinogenic and abortifacent being mandated by the ’Health Secretary’ (this sounds so Orwellian) for insurance coverage free of charge to women, provided for even by religious institutions against their fundamental moral beliefs.

Obama did not consult religious leaders on this. He did not consult objective and expert medical experts or healthcare professionals on this. He consulted Planned Parenthood.