While (almost) all eyes have been on the constitutionality of the (Evil) Individual mandate, another constitutional issue is hitting the radar, and it's pretty powerful:
"Nonprofit employers who, based on religious beliefs, do not currently provide contraceptive coverage in their insurance plan, will be provided an additional year, until August 1, 2013, to comply with the new law."
Seems pretty benign and banal, no?
It is anything but:
"Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
I write to you concerning an alarming and serious matter that negatively impacts the Church in the United States directly, and that strikes at the fundamental right to religious liberty for all citizens of any faith. The federal government, which claims to be “of, by, and for the people,” has just been dealt a heavy blow to almost a quarter of those people — the Catholic population — and to the millions more who are served by the Catholic faithful."
At issue is the requirement, about which we wrote this past fall, that health insurance plans pay for abortions and birth control, with no deductibles or co-pays.
There are several issues at play here. We've already debunked the idea that this coverage is "free." But that's not even the worst of it. Catholics are not the only constituency that forbids artificial birth control: approximately 845,000 Orthodox Jews would be affected by this trampling of the First Amendment, as well. As for abortion, well, that's against Catholic doctrine, and not a few Christian denominations, as well.
And according to at least one source, abortion is also forbidden by Islam.
Which begs the question: ACLU, where art thou?
"Nonprofit employers who, based on religious beliefs, do not currently provide contraceptive coverage in their insurance plan, will be provided an additional year, until August 1, 2013, to comply with the new law."
Seems pretty benign and banal, no?
It is anything but:
"Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
I write to you concerning an alarming and serious matter that negatively impacts the Church in the United States directly, and that strikes at the fundamental right to religious liberty for all citizens of any faith. The federal government, which claims to be “of, by, and for the people,” has just been dealt a heavy blow to almost a quarter of those people — the Catholic population — and to the millions more who are served by the Catholic faithful."
At issue is the requirement, about which we wrote this past fall, that health insurance plans pay for abortions and birth control, with no deductibles or co-pays.
There are several issues at play here. We've already debunked the idea that this coverage is "free." But that's not even the worst of it. Catholics are not the only constituency that forbids artificial birth control: approximately 845,000 Orthodox Jews would be affected by this trampling of the First Amendment, as well. As for abortion, well, that's against Catholic doctrine, and not a few Christian denominations, as well.
And according to at least one source, abortion is also forbidden by Islam.
Which begs the question: ACLU, where art thou?
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