There is no accommodation on the HHS mandate. Even longtime Obamacare supporter Sr. Carol Keehan of the Catholic Health Association has said so. But Joe Biden said something different last night. Insisted on it, in fact. Responding to Paul Ryan, he said:
With regard to the assault on the Catholic Church, let me make it absolutely clear. No religious institution—Catholic or otherwise, including Catholic social services, Georgetown hospital, Mercy hospital, any hospital—none has to either refer contraception, none has to pay for contraception, none has to be a vehicle to get contraception in any insurance policy they provide. That is a fact. That is a fact.”
Well, it’s a lie, actually. But the Obama administration has thrived by lying — so far getting away with its assault on freedom. And the media has largely helped, frequently looking away the 100-strong lawsuits against the Obama administration’s HHS mandate.
Today the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops called him on the lie. As I tweeted (@kathrynlopez) earlier, they issued a statement today in response:
This is not a fact. The HHS mandate contains a narrow, four-part exemption for certain “religious employers.” That exemption was made final in February and does not extend to “Catholic social services, Georgetown hospital, Mercy hospital, any hospital,” or any other religious charity that offers its services to all, regardless of the faith of those served.
HHS has proposed an additional “accommodation” for religious organizations like these, which HHS itself describes as “non-exempt.” That proposal does not even potentially relieve these organizations from the obligation “to pay for contraception” and “to be a vehicle to get contraception.” They will have to serve as a vehicle, because they will still be forced to provide their employees with health coverage, and that coverage will still have to include sterilization, contraception, and abortifacients. They will have to pay for these things, because the premiums that the organizations (and their employees) are required to pay will still be applied, along with other funds, to cover the cost of these drugs and surgeries.
USCCB continues to urge HHS, in the strongest possible terms, actually to eliminate the various infringements on religious freedom imposed by the mandate.
Please don’t let the Obama administration get away with this. It is not who we are.