United States Conference of Catholic Bishops vs. President Obama

If Catholic hospitals and universities are given the option to not offer contraceptives to their employees, then why can't a Muslim organization do the same?  Or a Jehovah's Witness publishing house refuse to offer coverage for blood transfusions?  Or Christian Scientist employers not offer health insurance at all?  That is the flavor of some questions being asked by only a few people in blogs and news articles on the internet, in my opinion far too few.

A religious entity such as a Roman Catholic hospital or Baptist nursing home as a matter of course hires workers who may or may not be practicing the same faith as their employer does.  It is not legal for such places to discriminate against prospective employees in the matter of their personal religious practices or non-practices.  This is as it should be, especially considering that hospitals and other health care facilities as well as universities and colleges accept public funding in the form of health care payments through insurance such as Medicare or Medicaid or in the form of government-sponsored grants and loans.  Additionally, such places are tax-exempt.  It is abhorrent to me that any organization claiming to be Christian (or any other religious identity) would then seek to legally impose such beliefs and practices on their employees via not offering insurance with reproductive health care.

Your scruples as an entity doing business in the United States should not be able to dictate the medical behavior of any of your employees, period.  If you don't want to know about someone in your employ having an abortion, then don't ask them.  If you would feel violated because your insurance company made contraception affordable to a woman employee because she was seeking to space out her pregnancies, not have a pregnancy, or as treatment for endometriosis, then again, don't ask.  Your conscience as a tax-exempt organization ought not to trump an employee's medical choices.  Period.  If you think that you should be exempt from the laws of this country, then get out and take your hospitals and universities to some other country.  Period.  Harsh?  Too bad.  I am personally tired of being expected to kowtow to religious folks and lobbies who want to impose their ways of being upon any minority.  So stop it.  The conscience of the individual is sovereign over any religious mandates.  Stay out of my healthcare decisions.

To the Bishops and to the organizations who do not want to provide contraceptive care under your health insurance plans, I have one thing to say to you: Suck it up. 

To the President who was seeking a compromise so as not to alienate any potential voters in an election year, I have one thing to say to you: Your "compromise" smacks of cowardishness. 

radical sapphoq says: President Obama and United States Conference of Catholic Bishops: FAIL.

Sources:

http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/Religion-and-Contraceptive-Use.pdf

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57376781-503544/battle-over-contraception-rule-wages-on/

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/01/catholic-churches-distribute-letter-opposing-obama-healthcare-rule/

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/post/santorum-insurance-shouldnt-cover-birth-control-at-all/2012/02/10/gIQAJZaY4Q_blog.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/post/birth-control-may-now-be-wedge-issue-against-gop/2012/02/10/gIQAbzVO4Q_blog.html

http://www.rhrealitycheck.org/article/2012/02/13/why-i-skipped-mass-today-practicing-catholic-objects-to-bishops-arguments-over-bi

http://www.rhrealitycheck.org/blog/2011/09/30/religious-exemptions-contraceptive-coverage-denial-still-constitutional

http://www.npr.org/2012/02/13/146795687/catholics-take-side-on-contraceptive-insurance-debate

http://news.yahoo.com/top-republican-wants-vote-birth-control-mandate-170357694.html

http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=13285

http://articles.latimes.com/2012/feb/11/local/la-me-0211-church-mandate-20120211

http://articles.latimes.com/2012/feb/04/local/la-me-0204-contraception-20120204

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12044/1209835-152-0.stm

http://www.uscatholic.org/news/2012/02/obama-compromise-contraceptive-mandate-unacceptable-bishops-say

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0212/72751.html

http://www.montrealgazette.com/life/Sheldon+Alberts+Obama+gaffe+birth+control+rule+helping/6143015/story.html

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/12/usa-contraceptives-idUSL2E8DC0HZ20120212

http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/09/10365739-catholic-tv-network-sues-us-over-birth-control-mandate

http://vitals.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/09/10365844-catholic-bishops-birth-control-stance-harms-employees-bioethicist-says

http://www.usccb.org/news/2012/12-021.cfm

http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/religious-liberty/conscience-protection/index.cfm

http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/religious-liberty/conscience-protection/bishops-renew-call-to-legislative-action-on-religious-liberty.cfm

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120213/world/US-Catholic-bishops-reject-compromise-on-contraception.406536

http://www.appeal-democrat.com/articles/women-113696-health-catholic.html

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0212/72669.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2012/feb/09/america-pro-choice-majority?newsfeed=true

http://www.cathnewsusa.com/2012/02/dolan-cites-obama-promises-on-birth-control/

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2012/feb/10/holy-war-against-birth-control/

http://www.nationofchange.org/obama-s-breach-faith-over-contraceptive-ruling-1328371594

http://www.prolife.com/BIRTHCNT.html

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2011/11/15/142358413/the-pill-not-just-for-pregnancy-prevention

http://www.medicinenet.com/hormonal_methods_of_birth_control/page2.htm

http://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-topics/ask-dr-cullins/cullins-bc-5398.htm

http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/medical_ethics/me0129.htm

http://www.catholicforum.com/forums/showthread.php?30369-Birth-control-sterilization-for-medical-reasons

Dear Mister President

Dear Mister President,

     This week I watched more teeth get kicked out of the A.D.A. -- no love to the folks who decided that someone could be fired from a religious institution for having NARCOLEPSY-- and the continuing drama of you and some other folks messing with the Internet.  No love.

     As if that wasn't bad enough, I saw a newsbite of you saying that religious organizations do not have to provide birth control to their women employees but the insurance companies will have to offer it.  Nothing, absolutely nothing, is "free."  So now there is one more government mandate.  Who will wind up paying for this one?  Not the government of course.

     Actually, I think religious institutions who accept public monies such as Medicaid and ahem, the faith-based office thingy should be required to play by the public rules ahem, the same employment laws that everyone else has to play by.  I also think that the government should get out of the healthcare business as well as the marriage industry.  But putting those things aside for the moment, I will continue onward through the insurance companies issues.

     Alright, so given that nothing is "free,"  just where do you think the money will come from for the latest mandate.  You think the insurance companies will reach out to women who work at religious places out of the "goodness" of their "hearts."  Oh really.  Now that right there is funny.  This latest idea of yours will come out of the pockets of all of the people who are working.  Insurance premiums for everyone will go up.

     So Mister President, once again, thanks for nothing.

                      No Love,

                      radical sapphoq