The Catholic Church vs. 'ObamaCare'
The feds will soon require religiously affiliated hospitals and colleges to offer insurance coverage for contraception. Does that violate the first amendment?
U.S. Catholic leaders are "fighting mad with the Obama administration," says Michael Brendan Dougherty at Business Insider, and they're taking the fight to the pews. Over the weekend, Catholic parishioners nationwide were read letters from their bishops decrying the feds' recent decision to require religiously affiliated hospitals, colleges, and charities to offer insurance coverage for contraception, sterilization, and the "morning-after" pill — all of which the Catholic Church officially opposes. Churches themselves were given a religious exemption from the new rule, which is part of Obama's health care reform, but the bishops said forcing other Catholic institutions to comply violates "the fundamental right to religious liberty" guaranteed in the Constitution. American Catholics don't agree with the church on birth control — 95 percent use contraceptives, and 89 percent say it's their choice, not the church's. Still, is the Obama administration abusing its power?
These rules are perfectly reasonable: Catholic schools and hospitals hire and serve people of many different faiths, says Kevin Drum at Mother Jones. And if these institutions "don't want to follow reasonable, 21st century secular rules... they need to stop taking secular taxpayer money." Pretend that instead of the Catholic Church and the pill, we were "talking about, say, an Islamic hospital insisting that its employees bind themselves to sharia law." Obama critics would surely be "a wee bit more understanding" of his position.
"If you take taxpayer money, you have to follow taxpayer rules"
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Liberals will rue this "overreach": "It is Catholic hospitals today; it will be someone else tomorrow," says Ross Douthat in The New York Times. Now that liberals have made the health bureaucracy into "an instrument of culture war," it will be used to bludgeon them when the next administration takes control. But for now, Catholic institutions that serve the poor and sick face a "preposterous" choice: "Pay for practices they consider immoral," hire and serve only Catholics, or stop serving anybody.
Good thing we have a year to figure this out: There are compelling arguments on both sides, but we aren't working in a vacuum, says National Catholic Reporter in an editorial. Catholic institutions have until August 2013 to comply, and "it is worth taking the year to investigate how this matter is handled in those [28] states that [already] require religious institutions to cover contraception," and "in other countries where national health plans make contraceptives available to all." This can work — but we have to be reasonable and thoughtful, and reject the "hyperbole that boils so close to the surface."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Mary Poppins tour: 'humdinger' of a show kicks off at Bristol Hippodrome
The Week Recommends Stefanie Jones and Jack Chambers are 'true triple threats' as Mary and Bert in 'timeless' production
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
Jaguar's stalled rebrand
In the spotlight Critics and car lovers are baffled by the luxury car company's 'complete reset'
By Abby Wilson Published
-
What the chancellor's pension megafund plans mean for your money
Rachel Reeves wants pension schemes to merge and back UK infrastructure – but is it putting your money at risk?
By Marc Shoffman, The Week UK Published
-
US election: who the billionaires are backing
The Explainer More have endorsed Kamala Harris than Donald Trump, but among the 'ultra-rich' the split is more even
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
US election: where things stand with one week to go
The Explainer Harris' lead in the polls has been narrowing in Trump's favour, but her campaign remains 'cautiously optimistic'
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Is Trump okay?
Today's Big Question Former president's mental fitness and alleged cognitive decline firmly back in the spotlight after 'bizarre' town hall event
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
The life and times of Kamala Harris
The Explainer The vice-president is narrowly leading the race to become the next US president. How did she get to where she is now?
By The Week UK Published
-
Will 'weirdly civil' VP debate move dial in US election?
Today's Big Question 'Diametrically opposed' candidates showed 'a lot of commonality' on some issues, but offered competing visions for America's future and democracy
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
1 of 6 'Trump Train' drivers liable in Biden bus blockade
Speed Read Only one of the accused was found liable in the case concerning the deliberate slowing of a 2020 Biden campaign bus
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
How could J.D. Vance impact the special relationship?
Today's Big Question Trump's hawkish pick for VP said UK is the first 'truly Islamist country' with a nuclear weapon
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Biden, Trump urge calm after assassination attempt
Speed Reads A 20-year-old gunman grazed Trump's ear and fatally shot a rally attendee on Saturday
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published