Democrats in control of the U.S. Senate rejected an amendment Thursday from U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., that would have permitted employers to refuse to cover health-care costs contrary to their religious beliefs -- mainly birth-control and abortion-inducing drugs. The amendment went down on a 51-48 vote.

The vote was mostly on party lines, though three Democrats -- Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Ben Nelson of Nebraska -- voted for the amendment, and one Republican -- Olympia Snowe of Maine -- voted against it. Nelson and Snowe are not seeking re-election in November.

Earlier this year, the Obama administration announced a mandate that employers affiliated with religious organizations opposed to birth control must provide insurance that covers contraception costs as part of the federal health-care plan that Obama signed into law in 2010.

Florida Republican U.S. Sen Marco Rubio was one of the co-sponsors of Blunt’s amendment. He said after the vote that this was a defeat for religion in the public square.

“The Senate’s failure to pass Senator Blunt’s amendment is a setback for religious freedoms in America,” Rubio said. “We must stop the unconstitutional mandate under Obamacare that requires church-affiliated organizations to offer their workers private-insurance coverage without out-of-pocket charges for birth control, something they are morally opposed to. Telling religious-based organizations that they must, by mandate of the federal government, pay for things that religion teaches is wrong. You may not agree with what the religion believes, but that’s not the point. The point is the First Amendment still applies. Religious freedom still exists.”

Democrats -- led by South Florida U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, insisted that the amendment was an “extreme attack on the rights of women to make decisions about their health for themselves” and looked ahead to November when Obama is up for a second term.
 
“When there are so many important issues in our country and we’re working hard to continue our economic recovery, it’s outrageous that Senate Republicans would distract from these important issues by trying to push the Blunt-Rubio amendment, legislation which would severely restrict women’s access to health care,” said Wasserman Schultz. “The Blunt-Rubio amendment would let any employer who has a problem with providing any type of health-insurance coverage to deny their employees that coverage.”

Wasserman Schultz also used the opportunity to wade into presidential politics, bashing the two leading candidates for the Republican nomination -- former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts and former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania.

“Make no mistake, this is about one thing and one thing only: the extreme right-wing fringe of the Republican Party – the only wing of the Republican Party that Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum and GOP leaders listen to – continuing their assault on a woman’s access to contraception and vital health-care services,” said Wasserman Schultz. “If ever there were any doubt that Mitt Romney and the Republican Party have launched a war on women, their support of the Blunt-Rubio amendment should clear that up.”
 
Florida Democratic Party Chairman Rod Smith also waded in on the issue.

"Marco Rubio championed a dangerous and extreme measure which would have denied women the lifesaving health care they need,” insisted Smith on Thursday, before -- like Wasserman Schultz, jumping into presidential politics. "Make no mistake: Senator Rubio, along with Mitt Romney, tried to turn women's health care into a political football in order to advance their own extreme agenda -- a shameful, partisan tactic which threatened the lives of women in our state and across our country.

"This dangerous legislation would have stripped a Florida woman of her ability to make her own decisions about her health care. Rubio's attack on women was rightfully defeated," Smith added.

Republicans also looked to November -- taking aim at Democrat incumbent U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson who is running for a third term. Nelson voted against the amendment on Thursday.

“Liberal U.S. Senator Bill Nelson cast one of the deciding votes for Barack Obama’s health care bill, which not only forces every Floridian to buy health insurance, but also mandates that they violate their personal religious beliefs,” said Jahan Wilcox, a spokesman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee. “This is just another example of how Obama’s job-killing health-care law gives the federal government – not the people of Florida – the power to decide what type of health care services are best for them.”    

Marjorie Dannenfelser of the Susan B. Anthony List, a pro-life group which has endorsed Santorum, said there "will be consequences" for senators who voted the amendment down.

“Today, the Senate failed to defend the conscience rights of millions of Americans that are being trampled upon by Obamacare. Americans do not wish to be forced to pay for abortion-inducing drugs by unelected bureaucrats in Washington," said Dannenfelser. "There will be consequences in November for senators in tight races who voted to kill this amendment with the absurd reasoning that they are acting in the best interests of women. Undermining the religious liberty and conscience rights of women can never serve them.”

Contact Kenric Ward at kward@sunshinestatenews.com or (772) 801-5341. Contact Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or (850) 727-0859.