Biting the Hand that Feeds

I wasn't planning on writing about this but it seems to have taken the news world by storm these past few days.  Maybe I just need a better spam filter on my email.  Word is just getting around that on January 20th, the Health and Human Services Agency, with the encouragement of our President and the ACLU,  issued a new mandate that all health plans, including those run by non-profits such as the Catholic Church must cover contraception and sterilization.  Thus throwing a rotten tomato in the eye of the Catholic Church and liberty lovers everywhere.  The Catholic Church, being most definitely "pro-life", has taken issue.  They are not alone.  Democrats, Republicans, Jews and Christians of all denominations are boiling over at this egregious mandate. 

Has the government finally gone too far? Does anyone in the current administration still believe in the principals set forth in the constitution?  What is at stake here goes beyond contraception, it is the violation of our "first liberty",  of our religious freedom.  Our  elected officials for sure are acting as hypocrites.  For years, religious symbols such as the "Ten commandments" have been ordered removed from courthouses at the same time we watched as our beloved Christmas trees turned into holiday trees.  All under the guise of separation of church and state.  Having tossed religion out of its confines, the government is now strong arming itself into the house of religion.  The Church and other "pro-life" organizations are being forced by our government to compromise their religious principals by providing abortion services.

Those supporting this tragedy will argue that there is a "religious exemption" in the mandate.  And on face value there is.  A narrow exemption exists for a "religious employer," defined as "one that:

1. Has the inculcation of religious values as its purpose;
2. Primarily employs persons who share its religious tenets;
3. Primarily serves persons who share its religious tenets;…"

The list goes on but I need not. The Catholic church fails the litmus test for items 2 and 3 as it hires and helps individuals from all faiths and walks of life.  Every year the Church gives $Billions to the poor and needy.  In 2010, according to the 2010 Catholic  Charities AnnualReport,  in New York City alone this group provided services for over 350,000 men, women and children in need through over $700 million in charitable giving.  This mandate from the Obama administration clearly bites the hand that  feeds.

There also seems to be some confusion on whether or not the mandate specifically includes abortive drugs.  The HRSA says it does not: "These recommendations do not include abortifacient drugs".   This is misleading since the government does not officially recognize the destruction of a human embryo before implantation as an "abortion," although it is recognized as such in Catholic teaching and the understanding of many pro-life Americans.  Therefore drugs providing this "service" don't fall under the category of abortive drugs.

Church-affiliated organizations affected include Catholic colleges and universities, hospitals and charitable institutions that serve the general public. What's next?  Arch Bishop Timothy Dolan was quick on the take, describing the administration’s actions as “simply un-American,” and questioned "What other constitutionally protected freedoms might an increasingly powerful federal government revoke? What other [government]-mandated violations of conscience lie ahead for other groups of American citizens, in pursuit of what their government declares is in the common interest?"

 Slowly, a movement is brewing to petition this outrage and bite back.  Kentucky Senator Rand Paul intends to sponsor legislation with other Senate colleagues to overturn the administration’s edict.  I can only hope that  this country awakes from its slumber of apathy. 

If they can take away our religious freedom, they can take away our free speech.  The Catholic Church has until August 2013 to comply with the mandate. Blog while you can.

Respectfully,

Finbags

***UPDATE 2/13/2012***

Thanks to the support of people like you, the readers of DGNTDWI, our President has reconsidered his mandate on contraceptive services. In a memo issued by the White House on Feb. 10th, the mandate is revised to include provisions that:

• Religious organizations will not have to provide contraceptive coverage or refer their employees to organizations that provide contraception.

• Religious organizations will not be required to subsidize the cost of contraception.

• Contraception coverage will be offered to women by their employers’ insurance companies directly, with no role for religious employers who oppose contraception. 

• Insurance companies will be required to provide contraception coverage to these women free of charge.

  Now it is the insurance companies turn to be put out the current administration.