John McCain Dodges Birth Control Question
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Republican presidential candidate John McCain laughed and then froze when asked about his position on insurance companies that cover Viagra but not birth control pills (watch the awkward exchange above.)
“I certainly do not want to discuss that issue,” McCain told L.A. Times reporter Maeve Reston on his campaign bus, the “Straight Talk Express,” in Portsmouth, Ohio on Wednesday.
Reston pointed out that McCain voted against a bill in 2003 that would have required health insurance companies to cover birth control pills. “Is that still your position?” she asked.
“I’ll look at my voting record on it, but I have… I don’t recall the vote right now,” McCain said. “But I’ll be glad to look at it and get back to you as to why, I don’t.”
When further pressed by Reston about the issue, McCain said, “I don’t know enough about it to give you an informed answer because I don’t recall the vote, I’ve cast thousands of votes in the Senate.”
Campaign spokesman Brian Rogers later said McCain will open insurance markets “for greater variety and competition allowing women to choose policies that fit their needs,” the Associated Press reported. “An example is the choice for women to dump a policy that only covers Viagra for a policy that covers their real needs.”
(source)
