In his 1991 encyclical Centesimus Annus, Pope John Paul II delivered a scathing critique of socialism, declaring that “the fundamental error of socialism is anthropological in nature. Socialism considers the individual person simply as an element, a molecule within the social organism, so that the good of the individual is completely subordinated. . . . Socialism likewise maintains that the good of the individual can be realized without reference to his free choice, to the unique and exclusive responsibility which he exercises in the face of good or evil.”
Pope John Paul II’s indictment of socialism is illustrated in the Obama administration’s recent edict requiring nearly all employers — including Catholic hospitals, schools, and charities — to cover sterilizations and contraception in their employees’ health-care plans. Because “contraception” includes abortifacients, this decision — made under the powers granted to the executive branch under Obamacare — also threatens many Protestant employers.
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The decision is the latest and most outrageous example of why Obamacare — socialized medicine — must be repealed in its entirety. It is also a shocking example of the administration’s choosing to ignore the opinions and beliefs of millions of Americans.
And while the Obama administration has never been a protector of pro-life Americans’ conscience rights — for example, it supports the federal funding that Planned Parenthood receives — this latest decision attempts to crush the freedom of the Catholic Church in this country. The president has declared a “war on religion,” as Michael Gerson wrote in the Washington Post last week.
Considering Obama’s comments about rural Pennsylvanians who “cling” to their religion, however, this is perhaps not entirely surprising.
The president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, cardinal-designate Timothy Dolan, correctly described the administration’s actions as “simply un-American,” and declared:
What other constitutionally protected freedoms might an increasingly powerful federal government revoke? What other [government]-mandated violations of conscience lie ahead for other groups of American citizens, in pursuit of what their government declares is in the common interest?
Archbishop Dolan also points out that the administration’s decision threatens the religious freedoms of all Americans. It must not stand.
The president’s contempt for the freedoms of Catholic Americans was also demonstrated in the way he personally betrayed Archbishop Dolan. Last November, the president met with the archbishop at the White House. During that meeting, President Obama reassured Archbishop Dolan that he respected the Church’s beliefs. Archbishop Dolan left that meeting convinced that the president would keep his word.
But on January 20, the president called the archbishop and instructed him that the only “concession” he would give to the Catholic Church’s beliefs was one extra year — until August 2013 — to comply with the contraception mandate. As Archbishop Dolan puts it, the president is “saying [the Catholic Church] has a year to figure out how to violate [its] conscience.”
I am beginning to think that this was, and is, a clumsy attempt to injection abortion politics into the 2012 Election. That shows how desperate the Democrats are to energize their base. It also explains all of the leftist posters on various blog sites that claim that the Church has no right to impose their beliefs on America - which made no sense when the posts were first made.
They were probably hoping for a social issue response (from the Church) to ride into the Election, but instead received a Bill of Rights argument which gains them nothing for 2012, and quite possibly the ire of Democrat Catholics.
If that theory is true, then the Obama Administration should be dumping this whole thing any day now.
The critical mistake the left is making is in assuming everyone shares their beliefs (the right is laboring under no such illusion, to be certain). They really believe everyone thinks expanded access to abortion and a lower birthrate are fundamentally good things; and that religion has too much influence in society. For them, restricting religious freedom while reducing the birth rate is a win-win.
The reality is, many people are greatly troubled by the size and reach of government, and, as you noted, do not see this as a "women's health" issue as much as a government overreach issue. Many people are also concerned over issues of religious freedom, and a worrying trend toward broad anti-religious sentiment on the left. But even beyond that, Americans are increasingly troubled by the declining birthrate, particularly in light of Europe's demographic woes. Arguments for guaranteeing access to birth control are not going to gain traction when it is obvious that are built on the assumption that the population is growing too quickly - an assumption which many people do not accept.
I will disagree with you on one point - I do not think the Obama administration is going to back down. It is a point of pride for them, they will ride every failed policy to its bitter end. They may not vigorously defend it if it gets challenged in court, but no way is the President going to risk losing face by backpedaling on it, no matter how unpopular it is. Just look at his continued defense of the increasingly unpopular Obamacare . . .
The clergy ... [wishing to establish their particular form of Christianity] ... believe that any portion of power confided to me [as President] will be exerted in opposition to their schemes. And they believe rightly: for I have sworn upon the altar of god, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man. But this is all they have to fear from me: and enough, too, in their opinion.
-- Thomas Jefferson, to Benjamin Rush, 1800. ME 10:173
Most cathoilc women want this coverage as all recent polls point out. The GOP are just trying in desperation to make this a wedge issue at the expense of womens rights and womens health. Pathetic.
It's my right and the church has no business telling me what or what I cannot have in my healh coverage.Period. Wake uop to the 21st century please. We no longer live in the 14th century
You have no "right" to force the church to pay for anything, and neither does the federal government, other than to enforce contracts entered into by you and the church. If you wish to purchase an insurance policy that covers contraception and breast implants, then you're free to do so, on your own.
Wake up to the Constitution and life in the United States.
You are certainly free to choose a church that comports with your wishes, or try to change your church. Perhaps you too should try the Unitarian church. I understand anything goes there. After you read the Constitution.
Religious groups should have no more control over what employees do with their insurance than with their salaries.
This is an employee benefit issue. This is not the Catholic Church having to provide a service directly. No Catholic hospital is going to be required to write a prescription or provide a pack of pills.
The majority of voters, including Catholics, support contraceptive coverage.
This is about the Church and GOPers using misinformation and unconstitutional nonsense to attck womens health AGAIN. You are only fooloing yourself, not the MAJORITY of people in the USA that follow the Constitution, not the Pope.
Where in the Constitution is the federal government authorized to dictate to ANY business what they are to include in insurance coverage?
You and Nancy are free to use your salaries to purchase all the contraception you want. See, that's how freedom works. You use your time to earn money to spend as you see fit. You are also free not to work for any organization that doesn't include payments for contraception.
Joe;
Take the blue one and in thirty minutes take the red one.
This was ALL settled under the previous Bush administration.
Nothing has changed.
There's only the need to sell more advertising.
They (every publication left right and center) are yanking our chains to
seem important
The GOP have picked a presidential candidate.
The contest is over....sorry about the Moon base or about society returning to the good old fifties
Word is that the election is this fall.
Maybe working toward a successful run for the White House would be
more fulfilling.
There is no such thing as "Employee Rights", except, perhaps, in the South African constitution so beloved by liberals.
What we have here in America is something call a Bill of Rights. And first among those rights is freedom of religion. You can Google it if you don't believe me.
Your side wants to force the Church to go against its own convictions. That ain't gonna happen, thank God.
No, you're wrong. Since there are over 1600 "to be determined" spaces in the healthcare bill, I'm sure one will be that a provider MUST perform abortions on demand. If they win this little skirmish, the bigger one is ahead.
Remember, if you let someone else's rights be trampled on, there will be no one around to protect you when your's are trampled on.
You are mis-informed, this mandates very clearly states that the Catholic employer will provide coverage that provides birth control and abortion services at no cost to the employee. Since the Catholic employer is paying for the insurance, they are paying for the birth control and abortion services that may or may not be used. The Catholic employer is not writing the RX, they are being asked to pay for it.
The government allows exemptions for conscientious objectors with regard to military duty, why not allow a similar exemption for abortion and contraception services for faith organizations.
Further if an employer should have no control over the benefits and the salaries that their employees receive, then who pray tell should....
If the Church is your employer, and you get your health care through the Church, then they absolutely have THE RIGHT TO CHOOSE which procedures and medications they will cover and those that they will not.
If you don't like it, get a job with Planned Parenthood. I believe they are happy to pay for as many "choices" as you would like to make.
Palin fan? That pretty much sums up why you spew nonsensical drivel. The modern GOP--the death of Reason and Enlightenment and the rise of Ignorance, Unconstitutional thought and Propaganda.
@Nancy the beliefs against contraception and abortion goes back roughly 2000 years, not 700 years as you seem to imply. Not sure where you get your information, but if you cannot even get that right, you're probably not educated on this issue.
You are correct that the Church has no right to tell you what is in your health care coverage. Similarly, you would agree that you have no right to tell the Church what is in its health care coverage?
Or, is this just another one of those illogical, one-way, liberal beliefs?
Racism is bad, but against whites it is ok.
Sexism is bad, but against males, it is ok.
Oppression is bad, but against religious people, it is ok.
Multiple viewpoints are good, but only if they are leftist viewpoints.
Freedom of speech is good, but not for conservatives.
Etc.
To summarize, you have a belief of what health insurance coverage should contain. You want other people to pay for your belief via taxes, and you want to force everyone in this country to accept your belief as well. If anyone argues against that, then they are oppressing you.
Glad to see that the world only revolves around you. But, I have bad news for you.
You are not the only person in this country, and you and your ilk are not yet dictators that get to walk around and force your beliefs on other people. We will not be forced to accept your beliefs, freedom must prevail.
The "rights" articulated in the Bill of Rights, religion, speech, press, etc. require no action on my part, where as your so called "right" to free condoms does,which means it is not a "right " as understood in the Bill of Rights. You liberals are always changing the meaning of words in order to win arguments.
