Somehow, the president wound up in a culture war fight with one of the most discredited groups in American history--Catholic bishops--over a practice that is routine for 99% of Americans and 98% of Roman Catholics.
The bishops, and their fellow travelers, want to make the issue about "religious liberty" when it clearly is not. No one is questioning the bishops' right to believe and teach whatever they want about contraception. They may even, if they wish, excommunicate Catholics who don't do as they say.
All they were being asked to do is respect the rights of employees who aren't Catholics. Catholic hospitals employ Methodist doctors and Jewish nurses. These doctors and nurses may have a religious belief that contraception is a good thing, and the world would be a better place if more people used these family planning tools. Shouldn't their religious beliefs be respected?
In fact, if the bishops wished to retrieve a smidgen of their lost public esteem, they might, in Christian charity, freely offer to cover contraception for their non-Catholic employees, even though they disagree with it.
The administration offered a compromise: The employees could still get contraceptives, but the bishops' wouldn't have anything to do with it. But no, this is not enough. In a statement last Friday, the bishops expressed continued opposition and concluded: "The only complete solution to this religious liberty problem is for HHS to rescind the mandate of these objectionable services."
In other words, the "only solution" is for insurance coverage to eliminate coverage for contraception! The "only solution" is for everyone else to capitulate to our point of view! Yes, that would solve it. (The bishops' message was communicated to congregations this past weekend. These people still have a tax exemption?)
The president's political opponents are scrambling on board to bash him, but they should think twice. Most of them are older men, and this is an election year. Do they really want the months of September and October to feature a bunch of old guys blathering to the country about the evils of contraception?
I don't often compliment the White House political shop, but...nice work!
Now, if we had national health care this wouldn't even be an issue!
Posted by: lillianjane | February 14, 2012 at 12:52 PM
True, which is yet another reason we should have it.
Posted by: John Petty | February 14, 2012 at 05:07 PM