On Thursday, February 9, EWTN Catholic Global network, sent out a press release stating that they are filing a lawsuit against the US Government about the Department of Health and Human Services recent mandate that they will have to provide coverage for "contraception, sterilization and abortion-inducing drugs" in the healthcare plans they offer for their employees. EWTN is claiming this is unconstitutional and against the Fourteenth Amendment, free speech and freedom of religion.
EWTN is also arguing that, being a religious organization, which relies on donations, their donors also believe in the same Catholic beliefs and they would now be forced to use these donations to fund something they don't believe in.
Is EWTN right? Yes, and it has nothing to do with what Catholics believe as that can be argued back and forth, and has been, for centuries. The church is clear on their teaching about contraception—they consider it a sin. But that isn't the argument here. Instead it comes down to: can the Government force a religious organization to do something which is against their beliefs?
One of the arguments from the proponents of the mandate is that "the overwhelming majority of Catholic women are using contraceptives" which is probably true; however, it is their choice, they are not being forced to do so. If the mandate is not reversed, the church will be forced to provide them, that is the difference. It can also be argued that it is the "free will" of the Catholic men and women who are using contraception to sin, which according to the church doctrine they are doing, but no one is forcing them to sin. In addition, the refusal of the Catholic organizations to follow this mandate is also not infringing on any woman's right to contraception. They are not stopping them to use contraception; they can still find other sources, as they do now.
While the left will try to convince American citizens otherwise, this is just the tip of the iceberg and it will not only affect Catholics, but other religions (with the exception of Muslims who seem to have reached some sort of protected status) as well. If this mandate is allowed to stand it won't be long before other religious freedoms will fall. It is time for all Americans to take a stand, no matter what religion or non-religion they believe.
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Comments: 5
We may be a country with approximately 25% of it's citizens who identify with the Catholic Religion, however, we are more-so, a country of free thinking people. The majority of whom believe in the separation of Church and State in governmental law decisions. As such, we as a united and free people do not recognize, nor for the most part, appreciate the Catholic Church's attempt at interjecting their brand of theocracy into our politics and governing decisions.
If we were to allow such outside religious interference by the Catholic Church, should we not then also be bound to allow the Muslim Faith to interject their form of religious governing such as Sharia Law into our law making and/or any and all other forms of religious doctrine, teachings and thinking to be included in our governmental decisions and law making.
Secular devout Catholics will probably disagree with my opinions and sentiment. However, we as a nation of reasonable people have always lived under the majority rules type of society in all law making and governing and so it must be in this contentious debate as well. For it can not be otherwise if we are to remain a free and united society, respectful of each other and concious of each others presence as being an equal fellow citizen.
This is a case of the separation of church and state, which by the way isn't in the Constitution, but in this case it is the government doing what is against the First Amendment.
2) I never stated that the phrase I used, {i.e.} "Separation of State & Church" was or could be found in the US Constitution
By the way, the government can not force anyone, catholic or atheist to buy something from anyone.