Catholics Asked To Fight Birth Control Insurance Rule

By Bruce Nolan
Religion News Service

(RNS) Catholics around the country are being asked to object in writing to a new federal rule that will require Catholic ministries to offer birth control coverage to their employees.

In particular, Catholic bishops say a "conscience clause" that ought to exempt church organizations is too narrow and should be rewritten.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops distributed a letter objecting to the insurance mandate developed by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and showed Catholics how to file a written objection.

"All bishops were asked to alert parishioners of the need to address the threat to religious liberty found in (the) HHS mandate related to health care reform," said Sister Mary Ann Walsh, a spokeswoman for the bishops conference.

Under a new rule developed as part of implementing health care reform, employers will be required to offer employees insurance packages that include a range of preventive health services without co-pays.

Developed by the Institute of Medicine, an arm of the National Academy of Sciences, the list includes services like mammograms, colonoscopies and childhood immunizations.

But more controversially, the rule also requires that insurance plans offer sterilization services and birth control, including
"morning-after" emergency contraceptive methods already approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

While Planned Parenthood and other supporters regard the inclusion of free contraception as a significant victory for women, the Roman Catholic Church regards contraception as illicit because it artificially splits sex from the possibility of procreation.

Many Catholics and evangelicals also regard "day-after" birth control as theoretically indistinguishable from abortion.

Catholic leaders say the church, as an employer, should not have to offer employees coverage for medical practices that the employer finds morally objectionable.

They also say an exemption -- which covers organizations whose purpose is to inculcate religious doctrine and organizations that hire and serve mostly those of their own faith -- is too narrow because it excludes faith-based ministries such as hospitals, battered women's shelters and groups like Catholic Charities that serve all those in need, regardless of faith.

(Bruce Nolan writes for The Times-Picayune in New Orleans. Kevin Eckstrom contributed to this report from Washington.)

WATCH Rev. Charles J. Chaput On Abortion And Human Rights:

Comments

[Atwill]

08:34 AM on 09/27/2011

another disgusting example of the church pushing their sick agenda on the rest of America.

[Lad of Goshen]

04:32 PM on 09/24/2011

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. End of strory!

[cable1977]

07:38 PM on 09/24/2011

The 1st amendment does not give a religious institution the ability to opt out of any law put into place in this country. If it does, maybe I'll start my own religion with one of the major precepts being "Thou shalt not drive under 85mph". No more speeding tickets for me.

[Patrick J Goshorn]

07:56 PM on 09/24/2011

Well seems to me that that the first amendment prevents the government from controlling the way a religeon operates.

[KennebunkportIndependent]

12:38 PM on 09/24/2011

The Catholic Church puts its birth control advice onto a hit song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6idHmoe5EM

[dil123]

11:43 AM on 09/24/2011

Why would we do that, when we're all on birth control? I mean, come on when was the last time you saw a Catholic with 19 children?

[Nomina]

09:15 AM on 09/24/2011

The key word is that they have to offer birth control, it does not mean that the insured has to use it. Catholics will use their own free will and birth control should be a personal matter. Unlike abortion, birth control does not take a life, it prevents it. If more third world countries would use birth control, they would not have so many starving people. The church can ask their members to do whatever they want but the bottom line is that they will do what is best for them.

[imokit]

08:08 AM on 09/24/2011

It shouldn't matter whether they have to offer birth control or not. If everyone's being good little Catholics then no one will claim for BC on their insurance, which will mean that covering it, makes no difference.
Since we know they're not, then the Church is providing a service which they don't condone, but at least people will have to be more honest about their sinning with the Church providing the insurance. Jesus likes honesty.

Either way = virtue

:)

[johnny1888]

08:03 AM on 09/24/2011

It's no wonder Americans are leaving the Catholic Church in droves.

[Andrew James Herrera]

03:19 AM on 09/25/2011

Protestants get our bad Catholics and we get their Good protestants so its no big deal. Converts to the faith(me being a former atheist) know why we Catholics oppose birth control and Abortion. Abortion since the first hippocratic oath was forbidden, and Christianity has opposed it for 2000 years along with contraception, it was not until 1900 that contraception was first morally acceptable by Protestant Christians, with the Episcopalians being the first mainline Church to accept it.

[RobertyBob]

01:33 AM on 09/24/2011

Ok, so birth control is a tremendous sin, but a priest can rape a kid and all that happens is the priest gets moved to another church. Got it.

[cysocial]

12:35 AM on 09/24/2011

Someone has been standing too close to the incesne! This is yet another reason why I see Vatican II as a giant step backward. It created a power base with the local bishops that over-reaches and becomes as much a personal popularity thrust as anything else. With ALL the other things the church needs to be addressing this is just stupid. I remember when THE PILL came out and the church had not made its hard core opinons. Vatican II was still fuzy and the Catholics everywhere were scratching their heads. My old parrish priest who I still believed would qualify for sainthood would tell couples, "I'm not married I don't have the same pressures and considerations as you. But for something to actually be a sin it has to have factual basis, you have to do it of your own free will. If you believe that in your particular case it is not a sin then don't confess it!"

[Nomina]

09:19 AM on 09/24/2011

What a wonderful priest. He really understood the facts. In this type of matter it should be between the person and God without any go between.

[vsedriver]

11:38 AM on 09/28/2011

and because so many priests were telling couples so many different things the Church decided to do what it is supposed to do and teach. The Church has spoken, birth control is wrong because it separates procreation from sex.

[Nomina]

06:49 PM on 10/01/2011

The Church can teach whatever it wishes but God gave mankind a free will so it is still going to be up to the individual as to whether he/she will use birth control or not.

[charlesrfd2003]

03:27 AM on 10/10/2011

And where did the Church get that idea.? Seems to me the idea came from pagan sources such as pagan Gnostics that found the body evil and the spirit good. Hence one had sex when the woman could get pregnant out of necessity to keep Christians from dying out. It sure takes the joy out of married life.

[sherm496]

11:40 PM on 09/23/2011

I'm confused. Where does it say in the Bible that you can only have sex if you are making babies? I read it all the time but haven't noticed that part. Is there a limit? I mean, if you haven't made babies after 50 times do you have to stop doing it? 100 times? 3 times? Is there a rule about no sex if you are pregnant 'cause you already made a baby? What about Rhythm? They taught Rhythm in my Catholic marriage class so you could figure out when it was "safe" to have sex, and when to avoid sex if you didn't want a baby. How is that OK?

[vsedriver]

11:40 AM on 09/28/2011

because not having sex is OK. Doesn't matter when you decide to not have sex it is still OK. The Church says sexual activity has to be ordered toward giving life otherwise it is a selfish indulgence. Doesn't require a baby to be produced just that you have to be open to life.

[charlesrfd2003]

03:34 AM on 10/10/2011

It doesn't. There is a story in Genesis about Onan, son of Judah, who was to provide children for his brother's widow, Tamar. While Onan had sex with Tamar, he withdrew so as not to impregnate Tamar. Most religions see the sin of Onan was the refusal to give Tamar children. Some see the moral in mechanical terms, that birth control was used.

[juna]

09:36 PM on 09/23/2011

The gap between the RCC's pious and narrow-minded "moral" advice, and its actual deeds with regard to actual children is astonishingly immense.

[Xattix]

06:04 PM on 09/23/2011

I'm a pharmacist and the a horrible Catholic (by definition) because I dispense birth control to my patients (mostly Catholic) without a moment's hesitation.

What I've observed is that the Church's rules don't stop people from taking birth control but they may start later, based on education they get from family and from school as young adults. I've also observed a high teen pregnancy rate in my area of practice. It is often only after the babies are born that patients follow up with their doctors and they are started on birth control methods

Basically, my opinion is that the Conference of Bishops will get some hardcore Catholics to sign this petition and send it in, but many of don't care or are uninformed and there are definitely some of us who are very pro-birth control and even pro-Planned Parenthood.

[Andrew James Herrera]

03:14 AM on 09/25/2011

If you are Catholic and pro-contraception and pro-planned parenthood then you are not a real Catholic, The Church for 2000 years has held this position and it stands on its principles, really, if you think this is wrong then you should consider becoming an Episcopalian, aka the first mainstream denomination to endorse birthcontrol

[Xattix]

11:53 PM on 09/27/2011

I'm aware of the other religions out there and there lots of reasons why I wouldn't convert. Thanks anyway.

[Nomina]

07:00 PM on 10/01/2011

The Church has approved the rhythm method. How does that differ? It is a form of birth control. The whole point of this is that people need to do what is right for them. The Church is not going to support the children born to families who can't take care of them. A child needs to be welcomed into a loving home and given the essentials of food, clothing and shelter. This is prevention not the destruction of life.

[vsedriver]

11:42 AM on 09/28/2011

why belong to a church you think is wrong? I mean, if it is wrong in one area it's probably wrong in other areas so what's the point?

[dpkjj]

04:35 PM on 09/23/2011

If I didn't know better, I would think the Catholic Church is trying to self-destruct. This is only the latest in a number of actions and preacings that are bringing the church farther and farther away from its members and prospective members.

Maybe I'm missing something, but just because something is covered by my insurance doesn't mean I have to do it. If Catholic employees of Catholic organizations want not to use birth control (and, as many commenters pointed out, that is not usually the case), no one is forcing them to do so.

[Andrew James Herrera]

03:15 AM on 09/25/2011

This is the problem with people who think Churches must give in to the popular stuff at times, the Church is following something that has been apart of Christianity for 2000 years, if someone wants to join a Church that is going with the flow and not standing for its principles then they are free to join one of the ever growing 60,000 protestant denominations each with their own wacky theology, and conflicting moral principles all "inspired" by the Bible.

[Nomina]

07:03 PM on 10/01/2011

The Church should not be political but it is. God gave man a free will. I think He knew what he had in mind.

[charlesrfd2003]

03:42 AM on 10/10/2011

In this forum let us not call any Protestant as having wacky theology. One does not need to agree but wacky seems harsh and unlikely to win friends to the writer's point of view.

[dpavsek]

04:02 PM on 09/23/2011

What a joke! Do they really believe that catholics, who use birth controal and obtain abortions at the same rate as the rest of the nation, are going to object to these regulations? It is amazing that you only hear from these guys when they want to talk about sex and how to keep women as second class citizens.

[vsedriver]

11:43 AM on 09/28/2011

sinners do tend to keep quiet

[thegodlessgeneration]

02:13 PM on 09/23/2011

By the decree of a church run by men, women everywhere are directed to fight for birth control insurance rule.

Yeah, sure.

[thegodlessgeneration]

02:15 PM on 09/23/2011

whoops. I mean "fight birth control insurance rule." Darn.