Thursday, March 1, 2012



Amendment I (1): Freedom of religion, speech, and the press; rights of assembly and petition Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. - Bill of Rights, Constitution of the United States of America.




Recently, the New York Times ran an op-ed column that spoke about the contraception mandate.


The contraception mandate isn't just about contraception.  It fundamentally is about both the government intruding on the benefits a company must offer and about the Establishment Clause of the Bill of Rights in the US Constitution. It's about government deciding that an organization's mission is irrelevant when it comes to certain aspects of that business.


If I do not like the benefits offered by a potential employer, I am free to reject the job offer or attempt to negotiate a different package.  I'm free to pay for various things out of pocket or to purchase a rider to an existing policy to cover the things I want covered.  The Catholic Church is not really saying that "contraceptives should be illegal."  What they are saying is that Catholics who own and run businesses should not have to violate their faith's doctrines and pay for other people to use them, and for Congress to pass laws that force them to do that violates their First Amendment rights.


People liken the requirement of health insurance to the requirement of car insurance.  This isn't really a valid comparison.  No one is REQUIRED to carry car insurance unless they A) own/lease a car, and B) drive it on public roads. If you own a farm, for example, and have a truck that you ONLY drive on your property, not only do you not need car insurance, but you don't even need a driver's license or to register the truck (though if it breaks down, a mechanic would need to either tow it to his garage or do the work on your property).  In many states, if one secures enough cash in a specific account, they can even forgo buying car insurance (by self insuring) while owning/leasing a car and driving it on public roads.  I would even posit that in New York City, a city of 8+ million residents, only a very small minority of people are required to purchase car insurance because most people don't own cars.  For this to be a valid comparison, every person would need to be required to purchase car insurance simply because they are living and might ride in a car or bus someday.


In the case of EWTN, they are self-insured and they employ many non-Catholics.  Those non-Catholics know exactly who EWTN is and what they stand for prior to accepting employment, and they choose to work there anyway, even knowing that things like contraception, sterilization, and abortions will not be covered.  I doubt IVF or many other fertility treatments are covered either since those, too, violate the doctrines of the Catholic Church.  The mission of EWTN is to further the mission of the Catholic Church.  It was started by a cloistered nun, for crying out loud.  What this mandate says is that their mission and the right to practice the Catholic religion as a part of that mission is less important than providing coverage for prescription contraceptives and abortions for their employees.  If they acquiesce, then they are hypocrites (and sinners according to the doctrines). It forces them to betray the religion that they believe and are trying to promote.

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