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| By Jesse Merkel |
Last week, members of the Catholic Church and other organizations began protesting a new mandate brought on by the Obama administration. This mandate states that all faith-based organizations must provide contraception coverage though the health care plans they offer their employees. These include the employees of catholic schools, hospitals and non-profit charities.
On Friday President Barack Obama attempted to calm the opposition by stating that the organizations would not have to pay for contraception coverage, but still would have to offer plans that provide it. The insurance companies will just have to give the contraceptive options away for free.
How it’s paid for was never the main issue. Institutions are still required to provide a service that they consider to be sinful. The result is the same. The implication that the government can now mandate that these organizations provide coverage that they believe to be immoral is extraordinary.
People are allowed to personally disagree with the teachings of the Catholic Church, or any other religious organization in America. However, the Constitution states that the federal government cannot force religious organizations to pay for things that that they believe to be wrong. Period.
Numerous Catholic bishops and priests, Army Chaplains, and elected officials are crying foul. Cardinal-designate Timothy Dolan of New York has had nothing but harsh words for Obama, which he and many others believe are now attempting to legislate the affairs of the church. Obama’s change of heart on Friday has done little to pacify the opposition.
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