"Conservative Protestants don't tend to be against contraception in all cases, true, but they're very against contraception for the unworthy."
What is that statement based on? No idea what "being very against contraception for the unworthy" means or how such a sentiment could even be expressed. Historically, people who consider poor people 'unworthy' would be in favor of contraception or even sterilization for them.
"The most common argument against the employer mandate was that it violated a business owner's freedom of conscience. Non-Catholic support for this was not just an ACLU-defending-Nazis thing."
The argument is that the employer mandate violates the First Amendment's protection of freedom of religion.
"Commentary on the whole Sandra Fluke affair made pretty clear that this was not about an in-principle right not to have to go against one's conscience
in general, but was instead about the specific right to make sure that it is difficult for sluts to access contraception."
The "commentary" you're referencing is the cartoon pantomime from Rush Limbaugh and "WAR ON WOMEN" fundraising emails. You may have already read and carefully considered the arguments of the Catholic bishops, but if you need a refresher, you can read it here:
http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-act...ment-on-religious-freedom-and-hhs-mandate.cfm
"But preventing access to contraception isn't an exercise of private power that we'd have expected Protestants to care much about; I'd argue that this is manufactured opposition much like Protestant opposition to abortion, albeit about 20 years younger."
Again, you are misstating the issue as "access to contraception." "Access to contraception" has been widespread and affordable since the lates 60s, and that will never change. Twenty years ago, the government was not requiring religious institutions to pay for contraception for its employees, so it's irrelevant how Protestants may have felt about it then.
"I assume you're talking about an Al Mohler piece (
http://www.albertmohler.com/2006/05/08/can-christians-use-birth-control/) in which he's awfully wishy-washy on the issue, saying that there are legitimate questions to be asked, and strongly implies that even lots of married couples who use contraception are doing so illegitimately."
There is some "on one hand x, but on the other y" style argument. But in the end he says that Catholic teaching on contraception is wrong, and evangelical Christians can use it without violating Christian morals. Evangelical theology does not oppose contraception in the abstract. There's no way to argue around that.
"I want to stress that last bit again. Non-Catholic institutions have been at the forefront of pushing misinformation about contraception, claiming that some of the most popular and effective methods are the moral equivalent of abortion. Likewise there's been a lot of hostility to clinics that provide subsidized contraception but not abortion."
Where can I read about non-Catholic institutions being at the forefront of pushing misinformation about contraception? I'm not familiar with this subject.
"Expanding on that, there's also clearly a certain amount of hostility to contraception for certain people apparent in how there's no evident pro- subsidies for contraception movement within the pro-life movement."
I'm not sure what you mean here.
"But Protestant opposition to contraceptive methods such as the Pill and opposition to government policies such as the employer mandate and subsidies for contraception are a product of the self-perpetuating outrage machine called the religious right, an alliance of conservative Protestants and Catholics which has its roots in opposition to integration."
Protestants do not "oppose" contraception. No Protestant sect that I know of teaches that contraception itself is a sin. You've typed a lot and haven't proven differently yet. Protestant theologians express reservations about the effects of the sexual revolution, which were made possible by contraception. Those are separate concepts and your argument doesn't make sense when you keep repeating that Protestants oppose contraception.
The outrage over the employer mandate was not "self perpetuating." The federal government imposed a policy that it had never done before, and a host of religious leaders and judicial scholars objected. Obviously some political opportunists went along for the ride, on both sides. But you are missing the point of the disagreement.
Edited to add: Jewish and Orthodox Christian leaders also oppose the mandate. Neither are part of the Religious Right.
