This is welcome news. See HHS Mandate No Longer Just a Catholic Fight . This is welcome news because no doubt many of the Non Catholic groups do not have anything resembling the Church's teaching on the issue. In fact in some of their Mission work medical wise might actually be dispensing birth control etc.
They wisely see the threat. As noted by Prof Garnett at Mirrrors of Justice :
....The Maureen Dowds of the world want to frame the debate about exemptions from the mandate as a narrowly Catholic concern (and, really, not even a concern for most Catholics), recognizing that framing it this way goes a long way, in many people's minds, toward winning it. But, the issues is bigger than Catholics-and-contraception.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Birth Contol Using Christians Join Catholic Bishops in HHS Mandate Fight
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
This is a proposed rule out for comment, so this is the appropriate time for commentary. It is clear the Administration is taking the comment period seriously (something the previous Administration did not always do). I would join with the editors of Commonweal in supporting a broader definition of religious organization than in the draft.
HOWEVER, part of the reason for the narrow writing of the draft was due to how some church affiliated schools, hospitals and other organizations claimed a religious exemption for that other big employee benefit -- retirement plans. And with that exemption, they took some egregious actions cheating their employees out of rightful pensions.
As a Catholic, I understand the Church's opposition to contraception but do not acknowledge a legitimate Catholic moral objection to the mandates for a properly funded pension plan and the duty to make good on promises to employees.
But from a governmental standpoint, it is hard to exempt an indirectly church-affiliated organization from one employee benefit mandate (health insurance) and not the other (retirement plans).
The best way to have avoided this situation was for church-related hospitals and schools not to have cheated their employees on their pensions in the first place.
Kurt thank you for commenting.
I will have to research the Pension issue. This s the first time it was brought to my attention.
Of course one problem we have is thre is not "one Catholic Church" but many Churches under a Bishop that have different views on how to handle such things as Pensions or even this issue. Of course I am not sure how Catholic Hospital handled it. The main Catholic Hospitals I have dealt with were under the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word.
THe key here of course is indirect and how much of this is indirect to the Church Mission. That is direct only within the 4 walls of the immediate Church and support system or does it go beyond that in varying degrees. EDUCATION, HEALTH, IMMIGRATION services, etc etc.
I am actually rather more optimistic than others that a workable soultion will be found
By the way, some of our Prot breddern have been (slowly) coming around to the realization that the Pill is NOT good for marriage, nor society.
Evangelization works!!
Post a Comment