Judie Brown
Are Catholics getting what we deserve?
FacebookTwitter
By Judie Brown
February 20, 2013

With Obamacare and the HHS contraceptive mandate looming, many eyes seem to be opening for the first time about the destructiveness of these laws – not just for human life, but for conscience rights as well. It will likely be a tough road ahead – one fraught with many obstacles. But we must persevere in both action and prayer. We must speak up and encourage others to do the same. For if we do not, what outcome should we expect?

While Obamacare has been a topic of debate and discussion for the last four years, the Obama/Sebelius contraceptive mandate – complete with the recent vapid compromise – really raised the stakes for Catholics, as United States Conference of Catholic Bishops president Cardinal Timothy Dolan recently pointed out. In his statement, the cardinal enumerated the three main concerns that the bishops have with this mandate. He said the latest proposal "appears to offer second-class status to our first-class institutions in Catholic health care, Catholic education, and Catholic charities," meaning that because these organizations are an integral part of the Church's ministry they should be on an equal footing with the institutional Church when it comes to the mandate and similar regulations. For example, if we were discussing the tax exempt status of nonprofits, a parish as well as a Catholic Charities organization would be accountable under the same set of regulations.

The cardinal further pointed out that contraceptive and sterilization coverage could still be problematic because the regulation does not clarify how the separate policy is to be funded. Perhaps the Catholic entity will be paying for both. Add to this the obvious fact that private employers are receiving no protection or exemption if they have moral objections to providing such coverage, and what's left is a totally unacceptable proposal.

Even though lawsuits against this mandate and Obamacare itself are ongoing, the fundamental question of whether or not it is ethical for the government to impose such mandatory requirements for coverage even when Christian ethics are being violated is not being addressed by the White House and its surrogates in the media. Obama and his cohorts see no reason to do so when their point person, Sandra Fluke, argues that no woman should be discriminated against by having to buy her own birth control! Inane, of course, but fundamental to the Obama way of forcing religious institutions to abide by "the law."

The fundamental arguments in favor of religious liberty and protection of conscience are summarily ignored in the process.

Addressing this very thing, Archbishop Charles Chaput cited scholar Yuval Levin:
    Levin has stressed that the new HHS mandate proposal, "like the versions that have preceded it, betrays a complete lack of understanding of both religious liberty and religious conscience." In reality, despite the appearance of compromise, "the government has forced a needless and completely avoidable confrontation and has knowingly put many religious believers in an impossible situation."
Chaput further asked for our prayers saying, "One of the issues America's bishops now face is how best to respond to an HHS mandate that remains unnecessary, coercive, and gravely flawed. In the weeks ahead the bishops of our country, myself included, will need both prudence and courage – the kind of courage that gives prudence spine and results in right action, whatever the cost."

Indeed, this shepherd has pointed out what is required, but to my mind this is a little bit late in the game.

At a time when the bishops are confronted head on with an administration that despises the Catholic Church – as witnessed by its actions – one has to point out that four years ago the USCCB did not adamantly oppose the first whispers about Obamacare, but rather worked with the White House to help make it somewhat acceptable. Recall its demand that the law merely be "abortion neutral."

Today we are reaping what our bishops, perhaps in their naïveté, sowed in Obama's political fields of weeds. Only time will tell, of course, but for the sake of all those babies silently killed by various birth control chemicals and devices, we will pray, we will fast, and we will seek the Lord's guidance for our Catholic bishops.

© Judie Brown

 

The views expressed by RenewAmerica columnists are their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of RenewAmerica or its affiliates.
(See RenewAmerica's publishing standards.)

Click to enlarge

Judie Brown

Judie Brown is president and co-founder of American Life League, the nation's largest grassroots pro-life educational organization... (more)

Subscribe

Receive future articles by Judie Brown: Click here

More by this author

 

Stephen Stone
HAPPY EASTER: A message to all who love our country and want to help save it

Stephen Stone
The most egregious lies Evan McMullin and the media have told about Sen. Mike Lee

Siena Hoefling
Protect the Children: Update with VIDEO

Stephen Stone
FLASHBACK to 2020: Dems' fake claim that Trump and Utah congressional hopeful Burgess Owens want 'renewed nuclear testing' blows up when examined

Cliff Kincaid
A CIA plot to kill Trump?

Linda Goudsmit
CHAPTER 40: The Art of Using Technologies to Alter Human Cognition

Linda Kimball
Prayer against hatred (cold hearts; lack of love; death wishing)

Michael Bresciani
‘That’s misinformation’ – The Left’s standby excuse for everything devious, dishonest, and demonic

Cliff Kincaid
Maryland sheriff warns of terror cells in America

Stone Washington
Book review: The innovative efficiency and competitive dynamism of biotechnology

Jerry Newcombe
Reading the Bible and human flourishing

Linda Goudsmit
CHAPTER 39: Cognitive Warfare and the Battle for Your Brain

Joan Swirsky
Heads up, liberal Jews––Don’t be Jews with trembling knees

Frank Louis
No pain, no gain: At least Mike Pence isn’t in the copilot seat moving forward

Robert Meyer
The real reason the elites loathe Trump

Paul Cameron
What can experts cure or prevent?
  More columns

Cartoons


Click for full cartoon
More cartoons

Columnists

Matt C. Abbott
Chris Adamo
Russ J. Alan
Bonnie Alba
Chuck Baldwin
Kevin J. Banet
J. Matt Barber
Fr. Tom Bartolomeo
. . .
[See more]

Sister sites