Townhall...
Catholics!
Fight! Fight! Fight!
by Katie
Kieffer
Jun 04,
2012
If you love
freedom, cheer up. For, Catholics are marching into the game, fighting
the
fight for you! Catholic leaders like the University of Notre Dame are
battling
an unconstitutional health care mandate. Rah! Rah! Rah!
Fighting
Obamacare is a hard job but somebody’s got to do it. Today, Catholics
are doing
it. Their lawsuits will help protect the First Amendment rights of all
Americans. So, even if you’re not a Catholic, you need to support this
legal
fight. And, if you are a Catholic, prepare your shield, because you are
marching into battle.
On May 21,
the University of Notre Dame filed a lawsuit against the federal
government
regarding a recent U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
mandate.
The mandate requires religious organizations to offer contraceptives,
sterilization methods and abortion-generating prescriptions in their
private
insurance plans. 11 additional Catholic institutions filed similar
lawsuits—including the Archdioceses of New York and Washington, two
dioceses in
Texas and healthcare agencies in New York.
Admittedly,
some Catholics stumbled on their way to this fight for freedom. The
Catholic
Church and the Vatican have indulged in silliness like “affirming”
global
warming, recommending swift measures to combat climate change and
releasing its
“Top 10” picks for pop-rock songs. A number of Catholic nuns joined
violent OWS
revelers. And Notre Dame stumbled by inviting pro-abortion President
Obama to
give the commencement keynote address in May of 2009 and bestowing him
with an
honorary degree.
But, today,
Catholics appear indefatigable in their fight for freedom. Catholic
leaders,
like the archbishop of New York, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, are embracing
leadership: “We are called to be very active, very informed and very
involved
in politics. … We’re simply saying [to the federal government], don’t
impose
your teaching upon us and make us do as a church what we find
unconscionable.”
Timeline of
Administration’s attack on the First Amendment:
February,
2008: During the Democratic primaries, candidate Obama promises he will
not
push for a health insurance mandate. He told Ellen DeGeneres on her
talk show:
“If things were that easy [requiring all Americans to buy health
insurance], I
could mandate everybody to buy a house, and that would solve the
problem of
homelessness. It doesn’t.”
March 23,
2010: President Obama signs the unconstitutional Patient Protection and
Affordable Care Act, including a mandate provision requiring Americans
to
either buy health insurance or pay a fine.
August 3,
2011: The Administration issues an Interim Final Ruling with a
so-called
exemption for religious employers. However the exemption is so narrow
that
religious universities, hospitals, charities and schools are still
required to
pay for insurance policies that violate their faith and mission.
September
28, 2011: Notre Dame President Father John Jenkins submits a formal
complaint
to the Administration requesting a broader exemption.
January 20,
2012: Ignoring Jenkins, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius (whose father,
ironically, taught at Notre Dame) issues a final rule emphasizing that
all
health plans must include contraceptive services and religious
employers have
one year to comply.
February
10, 2012: Obama issues an “accommodation” on the HHS mandate. However,
it is a
“Pontius Pilate” accommodation whereby religious institutions can
merely
pretend to wash their hands of questionable practices.
Under the
accommodation, religious employers like Notre Dame still have to
purchase
insurance contracts that cover abortion-inducing drugs, contraception
and
sterilization for their employees—but the insurance company, not Notre
Dame,
has the duty of “notifying” Notre Dame’s employees that they are
entitled to
this coverage. So, nothing changes. Catholic employers must subsidize
services
that violate their faith and mission. Additionally, Catholics who work
for or
hold stock in insurance companies must compromise their First Amendment
rights.
Over 500
college professors, religious leaders of diverse faiths and healthcare
professionals sent Congress an open letter titled “Unacceptable”
stating: “This
is a grave violation of religious freedom and cannot stand. It is an
insult to
the intelligence of Catholics, Protestants, Eastern Orthodox
Christians, Jews,
Muslims, and other people of faith and conscience to imagine that they
will
accept an assault on their religious liberty if only it is covered up
by a
cheap accounting trick.”
I think
Notre Dame’s formal complaint best expresses what is at stake:
“The U.S.
Government Mandate, including the narrow exemption for certain
‘religious
employers,’ is irreconcilable with the First Amendment, the Religious
Freedom
Restoration Act, and other laws. The Government has not shown any
compelling
need to force Notre Dame to provide, pay for, and/or facilitate access
to these
objectionable services, or for requiring Notre Dame to submit to an
intrusive
governmental examination of its religious missions. … If the Government
can
force religious institutions to violate their beliefs in such a manner,
there
is no apparent limit to the Government’s power. Such an oppression of
religious
freedom violates Notre Dame’s clearly established constitutional and
statutory
rights.”
Whether or
not you are religious, the Administration is bypassing the Constitution
and
using executive power to strip you of your First Amendment rights. So,
root for
Catholics to win in court because they are fighting for your
constitutional
freedoms of religion, free speech and expression. Rah! Rah! Rah!
Read this
and other articles at Townhall
|