U.S. bishops urge Catholics to oppose insurer coverage of birth control
Tuesday, September 13, 2011 at 8:40 am
- 8 Comments
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is urging Catholics to write letters of opposition to the federal government over its recent decision to require insurance providers to fully cover birth control. The group is also asking Congress to exempt churches from the requirement.
A page on the Catholic Bishops’ website notes that “on September 7, Cardinal DiNardo, chair of the bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, urged Congress to support conscience protection legislation in light of this ‘unprecedented threat to religious freedom.’”
The Respect for Rights of Conscience Act was introduced in the Senate early last month by three Republicans. The bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives “has 44 co-sponsors and hasn’t seen any congressional action since March 28,” according to bill records documented by the Library of Congress.” No members of the Minnesota delegation co-sponsored the bill.
The legislation proposed in both the House and Senate would provide a way for the church to receive federal funds through health care exchanges created by federal health care reform, but would allow the church to be exempt from following the recent recommendation made by the Institute of Medicine that places birth control on a list of preventative health care services.
The Bishops have also sent out a 35-page comment claiming that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ recent decision to include birth control in its list of preventive care services violates the First Amendment’s religion clause. The Bishops are claiming that the religious exemption provision already included in the decision is “too limited.” In the comment, the religious group requested that the mandate be rescinded “in its entirety.”
The Minnesota Catholic Conference released legislative recommendations in January that supported allowing medical workers to opt out of providing birth control prescriptions.
As has been previously pointed out by Catholics for Choice President Jon O’Brien, the majority of Catholic women have yet to be convinced by the Church’s stance on birth control. According to research conducted by the Guttmacher Institute, about “98 percent of sexually active Catholic women have used contraceptive methods banned by the church.”
“What’s really going on,” O’Brien said, “is that they have failed to convince Catholics in their own churches. So, [the bishops] have to go through political lobbying to stop Catholics from using contraception.”
Recent polling finds that 66 percent of Americans approve of the federal government’s recent decision to include birth control in its list of preventative services.
8 Comments
Comment posted September 13, 2011 @ 10:43 am
O’Brien nails it on the head:
“What’s really going on,” O’Brien said, “is that they have failed to convince Catholics in their own churches. So, [the bishops] have to go through political lobbying to stop Catholics from using contraception.”
Similar is the Catholic hierarchy’s long-running insistence that the public subsidize its religious schools.
Comment posted September 13, 2011 @ 10:46 am
AS a Catholic, I oppose the Church telling me and millions of Catholic women , that we do not have the right to take responsibility for our Fertility. Nor is it the role of the Catholic Church to meddle in the affairs of those with Private Health Insurance that may offer coverage to pay for Birth Control.
The Catholic Church opposes Tubal Ligations, Vasectomies, Condom use, Intro-Vitro methods, etc. If it is not Natural Family Planning using the changes in a woman’s Cervical secretions to determine Ovulation to abstain from sexual intercourse, then it’s a NO-NO.
Comment posted September 13, 2011 @ 10:50 am
The Catholic Church also opposes Hysterectomies if used to no longer wanting to bear children. Mine was result of Pre-Cancerous cells found after 2 seperate PAP tests in 2007 that indicated I was a good candidate for Cervical Cancer and Ovarian Cancer within a few years.
I was not about to have my life end that way. Damn my Church! It’s none of their flippin’ business.
Pingback posted September 13, 2011 @ 11:33 am
[...] The Minnesota Independent reports adding: The Respect for Rights of Conscience Act was introduced in the Senate early last month by three Republicans. The bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives “has 44 co-sponsors and hasn’t seen any congressional action since March 28,” according to bill records documented by the Library of Congress.” No members of the Minnesota delegation co-sponsored the bill. [...]
Pingback posted September 13, 2011 @ 11:33 am
[...] The Minnesota Independent reports adding: The Respect for Rights of Conscience Act was introduced in the Senate early last month by three Republicans. The bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives “has 44 co-sponsors and hasn’t seen any congressional action since March 28,” according to bill records documented by the Library of Congress.” No members of the Minnesota delegation co-sponsored the bill. [...]
Comment posted September 13, 2011 @ 6:57 pm
Is pregnancy an illness now? If so, why should we allow any pregnancies? And in 100 years Bambi, Fluffy, Daffy, Kermit, Elsie and ol’ Dobbin will have nothing to worry about.
It’s just another way for government to give more money we don’t have to voters.
Comment posted September 13, 2011 @ 7:50 pm
@ Ray (assuming you are a male)
I’ll listen to anything you have to say about pregnancy when you and those of your gender have the ability to become pregnant. And yes, pregnancy can include illness: Have you ever heard of an ectopic pregnancy, placenta abruption, pregnancy induced hypertension, toxoplasmosis….yeah, it gets a little more complicated than just getting pregnant and popping out a baby…
Comment posted September 14, 2011 @ 7:21 am
The Catholic bishops need to keep their dogma and politics out of our insurance plans and science.
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