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The Spectacle Blog
The Catholic community may have another bone to pick with the Obama administration. After the Department of Health and Human Service’s adoption of a mandate requiring all insurers to cover birth control pills without copays or additional fees, a group of academics and pro-life Democrats have joined forces to petition for an expansion of the mandate’s “conscience clause.” The clause exempts religious employers, but as of now does not include Catholic universities and hospitals.
This prompted academic figures from a number of universities as well as former Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper (D-PA), Democrats for Life Director Kristen Day, and Simone Campbell, Executive Director of the Catholic “social justice” lobby NETWORK, to sign a letter to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius requesting an amendment to the exemption.
As it stands, the exemption covers religious employers who meet four criteria: (1) have the inculcation of religious values as their purpose; (2) primarily employ persons who share their religious tenets; (3) primarily serve persons who share their religious tenets; and (4) are non-profit organizations.
This, however, leaves out many religious schools and hospitals, meaning they will be required to include no-fee birth control in any insurance plans they offer. This is particularly troubling for members of the Catholic community, many of whom oppose the private use of birth control, let alone its public subsidy.
But despite the fact that Catholics vote for Democrats at least as often as they vote for Republicans, the left seems convinced that the push to expand the conscience clause is coming only from conservatives. In fact, the National Catholic Reporter called the aforementioned letter’s list of signatories “a ‘Who’s Who’ of prominent Catholics whose politics tilt to the left,” but the liberal activism group Campus Progress still said it was “several conservative groups” leading the campaign.
Campus Progress, an arm of the Center for American Progress, published an article on Tuesday entitled “No-Cost Birth Control Under Attack for Some Students,” making the above statement and noting, among other things, that “contraception prevents abortions,” and that having to pay for birth control would be “burdensome and deterring.”
It doesn’t take into account, though, a 2002 Guttenmacher Institute study that found that only 12 percent of women who were not using contraception and subsequently had abortions from 2000-2001 stated their lack of access to contraception to be their reason for nonuse (reported on The Spectator’s website in July).
Campus Progress also reported that Advocates for Youth has launched a counter-initiative to persuade the HHS to leave the conscience clause as-is.
Finally, it quoted the Guttmacher Institute’s Adam Sonfield as arguing in support of the birth control mandate, saying, “Insurance would basically become unworkable if everyone got a veto over what services any other member of the insurance pool could use.”
This is quite an odd position coming from the side of the aisle that wholeheartedly supported public control of health care just a few months ago. Perhaps now that they realize that the public might have conservative ideas they would like to take back the “veto power” they were once so anxious to approve.
View all comments (10) | Leave a comment
More Blog Posts by Lucia Rafanelli
http://spectator.org/blog/2011/09/26/inaccurate-conceptions
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Teflon93| 9.26.11 @ 1:05PM
Non-Catholics may not be aware that Catholic hospitals represent one-sixth of total U.S. hospitals and cater overwhelmingly to the poor of all faiths. A number of U.S. bishops have already stated that without conscience waivers they will have no choice but to close these hospitals.
This is a direct test of liberals' claim to care for the poor vs the reality of liberals' lust for power.
Dixie Pixie| 9.26.11 @ 1:25PM
Not even close to a fair test Teflon93.
The Liberals “lust for power” will always win as the “Poor” are only a tool to to gain that power.
Teflon93| 9.26.11 @ 2:05PM
Precisely right, DP---and that means we can kiss 1/6th of our hospital system goodbye, IF the bishops hold their ground.
Given recent past performance, that is a dubious proposition at best because there is a sizable chunk of the Catholic population who prize "social justice" over innocent life---even though the Church teaches precisely the opposite.
It's God or Mammon. We'll see who wins in the near-term.
Dixie Pixie| 9.26.11 @ 1:58PM
The Obama administration is certainly turning out to be a “Test Of Faith” and christian principals for the Catholic Church.
Under ObamaCare, Catholicism will soon face the choice of devotion to their faith or devotion to the Liberal dominated State.
Obama has repeatedly stated that after a certain age and / or condition it is far better financially for the State for the person to “take the little white pill”.
The MSM assumed he meant a pain pill, but ObamaCare indirectly implies it is better the patient to die than to use any further medical resources.
The Catholic doctors will soon face a choice between giving an “end of life” pill at the dicta of the state and their faith.
The Liberals have proven they will not hesitate to kill the unborn as unwanted.
So why should the Liberals not demand of Catholicism that they kill the elderly and medically impaired as financially unwanted?
Clint| 9.26.11 @ 4:11PM
Catholics Face The Same Issues As Other Religions.
54 Percent of Catholics Voted for Obama.
45 Percent of Protestants Voted for Obama.
78 Percent of Jews Voted for Obama.
73 Percent of Other Faiths Voted for Obama
Margie| 9.26.11 @ 8:41PM
Proving that a large amount of people claiming "Religion" are not in their right minds.
Dan| 9.27.11 @ 7:12AM
Speaking of someone not in their right mind, who else but Margie?
Margie| 9.27.11 @ 1:12PM
"Let no one deceive you with empty
words, for through these the wrath of God
comes on the sons of disobedience.
Therefore do not become partakers with
them;
for you then were darkness, but are
now light in the Lord; walk as children
of light.
For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness
and righteousness and truth,
proving what is pleasing to the Lord.
And have no fellowship with the unfruitful
works of darkness, but rather even
reprove them.
For it is shameful even to speak of the
things being done by them in secret.
But all things being exposed by the light
are clearly revealed, for everything being
revealed is light" Eph. 5:6-13.
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