Recently we peered into The Mind Of Evil in an attempt to understand what the Obama administration was thinking when it imposed its draconian contraception requirement.
Now we get a little more insight into the Mind of Evil from evil spokeswoman herself, Kathleen Sebelius, who writes an editorial in USA Today with the preposterous title “Contraception rule respects religion.”
Let’s see what she has to say . . .
One of the key benefits of the 2010 health care law is that many preventive services are now free for most Americans with insurance. Vaccinations for children, cancer screenings for adults and wellness visits for seniors are all now covered in most plans with no expensive co-pays or deductibles. So is the full range of preventive health services recommended for women by the highly respected Institute of Medicine, including contraception.
I don’t know who the generically-named Institute of Medicine is. Perhaps their offices are located next door to the Superfriends’ generically-named Hall of Justice. However, the Institute of Medicine ain’t so highly respected by me if they’re recommending contraception for women as a preventive health service.
Children are not a disease, and they do not need to be prevented the way cancer or pneumonia do. While some women might have medical conditions that contraindicate pregnancy, that does not justify contraception as a means of avoiding it, and certainly the idea of recommending contraception to women in general is reflective of agenda rather than medicine.
Today, virtually all American women use contraception at some point in their lives.
This is irrelevant to the issue at hand. Virtually all women—and men—do stupid and immoral things at some point in their lives. That does not mean these things aren’t stupid and immoral.
And we have a large body of medical evidence showing it has significant benefits for their health, as well as the health of their children.
HUH?
What kind of Orwellian doublethink is this?
How does contraception—indiscriminately considered—improve the health of women or their children? The Pill, Norplant, IUD’s, condoms, etc. all work by different mechanisms and have different effects on the bodies of the people using them. The only effect they share in common is that they prevent pregnancy. If the claim is that avoiding pregnancy itself is a health benefit then it’s hard to see how that could benefit a woman’s children—since without pregnancy they wouldn’t exist. And as to health benefits to the mother, even if we set aside the idea that we’re dealing with junk science filtered through an anti-child, pro-loose-sex ideology, the same supposed benefits from not-being-pregnant can be achieved without contraception.
But birth control can also be quite expensive, costing an average of $600 a year, which puts it out of reach for many women whose health plans don’t cover it.
Well, the cost is going to depend entirely on what kind of contraception you are using. I haven’t checked the price of condoms, but unless nymphomania or satyriasis is involved, I imagine their use would not cost $600 a year.
Further, abstinence and NFP are free.
And nothing that the evil spokeswoman has said has established that contraception is a good thing or that it should be used.
The public health case for making sure insurance covers contraception is clear.
No. This is nonsense.
There is no “public health case” for making sure that insurance covers contraception because we haven’t even shown that widespread use of contraception is good or that it benefits public health. All we have are assertions without supporting evidence, and with no attention given to the moral character of the question.
Proceeding from the purely secular level, there is this fact: If people have easy access to avoiding pregnancy then a host of ills follow, including promiscuous, irresponsible sex, the treating of women as sex-objects, the juvenilizing of men, marital breakup, increased infertility, and the demographic winter caused by people having fewer children.
Even pagan Roman emperors like Augustus recognized that if you want a population to maintain itself, you can’t let it slide into declining birth rates. When this is a danger, people need to be incentivized to have more children (which Augustus did in a variety of ways). They should not be disincentivized by passing out free contraceptives!
And then there’s this: By passing out free contraceptives you create a false sense of security regarding pregnancy and thus encourage more promiscuous sex, but the very same attitude of irresponsibility leads to greater contraceptive failure (because the irresponsible don’t use the conception consistently and correctly), leading to more accidental pregnancies, leading to a greater number of abortions.
Since abortion kills a child, there is actually a negative impact on “public health” just due to the accidental-pregnancy-leading-to-abortion effect of contraception right there.
But we also recognize that many religious organizations have deeply held beliefs opposing the use of birth control.
At least your ideology has not so blinded you that you fail to recognize this.
That’s why in the rule we put forward, we specifically carved out from the policy religious organizations that primarily employ people of their own faith. This exemption includes churches and other houses of worship, and could also include other church-affiliated organizations.
Here we have half-truth and deception.
The preceding sentence noted that “many religious organizations” have “deeply held religious beliefs opposing the use of birth control.” Fine.
But the new sentence says that the policy exempts *not* those religious organizations that have such beliefs but rather “religious organizations that primarily employ people of their own faith.”
There is a difference between the two. If you really wanted to protect religious freedom you would exempt religious organizations on the basis of their belief, not what proportion of their employees share their faith.
And this is not the only restriction Sebelius fails to mention. The exemption also requires that the institutions primarily serve people who share their faith, which leaves out a huge number of schools, hospitals, charities, etc. It doesn’t matter how deeply held the beliefs of the organization are. If they reach out to more than a certain proportion of people who do not share their faith then they are required to violate their deeply held beliefs.
And the situation is worse than that! But let this suffice to show the game that Evil Spokeswoman is playing through her selective presentation of information.
In choosing this exemption, we looked first at state laws already in place across the country.
So what? States can make law for good or ill. That doesn’t say anything about what policies the executive branch of the federal government should implement. If a bunch of states have a particular law, that’s no reason to impose it by executive branch policy on a national basis. If a bunch of states required people to jump off bridges, should the executive branch impose that nationally?
Of the 28 states that currently require contraception to be covered by insurance, eight have no religious exemption at all.
So . . . barely more than half of the states require contraception to be covered by insurance . . . and of those who do less than a third have a policy that is worse than yours . . . and all told less than 20% of states employ this even worse policy . . . and this justifies your policy how?
The religious exemption in the administration’s rule is the same as the exemption in Oregon, New York and California.
Assuming this is true (do these states all, really, use identical wording in their laws?), the fact that you’ve got 6% of the states agreeing with you is not really a particularly strong argument for your case. Not if you’re basing it on a nose-count of what state policy is.
It’s important to note that our rule has no effect on the longstanding conscience clause protections for providers, which allow a Catholic doctor, for example, to refuse to write a prescription for contraception.
So Catholic doctors aren’t required to violate their conscience. Why, then, are Catholic hospital administrators and board members?
Nor does it affect an individual woman’s freedom to decide not to use birth control.
I am so relieved to hear that the Obama administration does not favor forcing contraceptive pills down women’s throats. Even China doesn’t do that (normally). It’s perfectly happy as long as you don’t get pregnant more than once. Abstinence and NFP are okay with them. They don’t actually force you to take the Pill if you’ve already had a child. It’s so wonderful that the Obama administration isn’t proposing a policy that would force women to use contraceptives. Adding this line to her editorial sure makes Sebelius’s case more convincing.
And the president and this administration continue to support existing conscience protections.
In some minimal, Orwellian, politically convenient sense, I’m sure this is true.
This is not an easy issue.
To the contrary: This is an extremely easy issue: DON’T MANDATE CONTRACEPTION COVERAGE AT ALL, AND IF YOU DO, DON’T REQUIRE RELIGIOUS ENTITIES LIKE SCHOOLS AND HOSPITALS AND CHARITIES TO VIOLATE THEIR CONSCIENCES ON THIS POINT.
Only blind, inflexible ideology could make a simple issue like this appear hard.
But by carving out an exemption for religious organizations based on policies already in place, we are working to strike the right balance between respecting religious beliefs and increasing women’s access to critical preventive health services.
Well, you failed to “strike the balance” this time.
Next time, try not to be so nakedly totalitarian in your approach. Try actually respecting the consciences of people in general instead of the most-narrowly-construed-class-you-think-you-can’t-politically-afford-to-subject-to-the-policy.
And don’t have the evil spokeswoman talk to us like we’re idiots, either.
Those are my thoughts.
What do you think?
Comments
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Organizations do not have beliefs. Individual persons have beliefs.
I agree with what you said, and how you said it. There’s no such thing as kicking their butts too strongly.
You said:
“If you really wanted to protect religious freedom you would exempt religious organizations on the basis of their belief, not what proportion of their employees share their faith.”
This is not just an affront to religious organizations, but ANY organization that wishes to give employees real healthcare—or to offer a healthcare plan to employees who do not want to contribute to a plan that covers abortion and contraceptives.
Those of us who work for non-religious entities need options too!
Will be interesting to see how Catholics and other Christians vote in November—regardless of whatever ‘compromises’ will surely come from the WH and his cronies to buy them more time to finalize their ultimite final solution.
Ton, ever heard of a mission statement?
I’m watching this from the outside being a Canadian and all. I tend to tolerate liberalism a little more because of my heritage, so I am sympathetic to their ideology, but I largely oppose it.
To me, it was absolutely despicable that on the contentious issue of the narrow scope of conscience exemption, Kathleen Sebelius told an outright lie to lead people to think that this exemption applies to many religious organizations. It was despicable that she deliberately mislead by omitting the clause about an organization being forced to provide contraceptive coverage even if it served a certain portion of non-members even if the employee base was entirely composed of members.
Be watchful though, the administration has put down two clauses to disqualify religious organizations from the conscience exemption:
1. That the non-member employees of the religious organization are greater than a certain proportion of the total
2. The religious organization serves a certain proportion of non-members.
Both clauses are unacceptable, but the administration will offer to drop the second clause as a compromise. This will make the administration look reasonable and accommodating, and it will get them one step further from having Catholic hospital becoming non-Catholic, and ultimately this is not about contraception or abortion, it about destroying Catholic Health Care.
God Bless,
Derek Hachey
Amen Jimmy! All I can think of is, “Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil. For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens. Therefore, put on the armor of God, that you may be able to resist on the evil day and, having done everything, to hold your ground. So stand fast with your loins girded in truth, clothed with righteousness as a breastplate, and your feet shod in readiness for the gospel of peace.kIn all circumstances, hold faith as a shield, to quench all [the] flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.mConstant Prayer. With all prayer and supplication, pray at every opportunity in the Spirit. To that end, be watchful with all perseverance and supplication for all the holy ones.” Epehsians 6:11-18
One problem I see with this idea that free contraception solves everything is the fact that free or very inexpensive contraception IS AVAILABLE RIGHT NOW AT PLANNED PARENTHOOD! This supposedly saintly organization, with its millions from our government, is so hard at work offering “preventative, life-saving” services to women AT THIS VERY MOMENT.
Does Planned Parenthood ever puzzle over the fact that despite their efforts to have women from teenagers to pre-menopause on birth control, their ABORTION RATE RISES EACH YEAR.
So, contraception that is cheap or free really does nothing they say it does. Yet we need MORE contraception and MORE life-saving abortions?
It’s like taking a verse such as:
2 thes 3:10 For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.
And makeing the world follow it. Since not all people are christian (practicing), they will look for a way to get what they wan’t and for free if at all possible.
Jeremiah 6:16 Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, WE WILL NOT WALK THEREIN!
Amen Jimmy! “Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil. For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens. Therefore, put on the armor of God, that you may be able to resist on the evil day and, having done everything, to hold your ground. So stand fast with your loins girded in truth, clothed with righteousness as a breastplate, and your feet shod in readiness for the gospel of peace.kIn all circumstances, hold faith as a shield, to quench all [the] flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.mConstant Prayer. With all prayer and supplication, pray at every opportunity in the Spirit. To that end, be watchful with all perseverance and supplication for all the holy ones.” Epehsians 6:11-18
If USAID teams are the new model for OBAMAdon’tCARE, here’s how you can expect that to go:
The Team comes in to your parish, and kindly informs you of the coverages you can expect from the “Plan”. The Team looks around for the families with the most kids, and explains, in front of God and everybody, “Folks, we can’t expect to cover everybody here unless we do something about this HUGE family of four over here. You’ll have to be spayed and neutered, mom and dad. Come now, step up, “shared sacrifice”, no shirkers. You over there…. Father, help us now, will you? We can’t have a riot….come now, step up,“shared sacrifice” no shirkers….”
Ton - that’s incorrect. Here is a thorough listing of the Catholic Church’s beliefs: http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_INDEX.HTM
Will this, at last, wake Catholics up to the real dangers this administration poses to our liberty. I believe it is a tremendous scandal that the majority of Catholics voted for Obama. It is almost unbelievable.
“And don’t have the evil spokeswoman talk to is like we’re idiots”
Should be “talk to us”
She’s not talking to ‘us’. She is talking to the Pelosi-style ‘American catholic’ who already use/approve contraception and, having trained (cauterized) their consciences, are willing to have the state precipitate a schism in the American church.
The Institute of Medicine is actually a very respected institution, based in Washington DC. It is not a government agency, but doews scholarly work in a variety of aspects of health care:
http://www.iom.edu/About-IOM.aspx
I don’t know what report the HHS Director refers to, so it’s anybody’s guess.
Good read Jim. Thanks. We are being treated like idiots. This administration worships secular humanism and look down on those who do not as ignorant and unenlightened. This is not only Caesar reaching too far, its Caesar imposing his own religion.
When will Sebelius be excommunicated for being complicit in leading people into sin by forcing the Church, and the rest of us, to go against our beliefs? If this isn’t enough, what is?
Do we still have First Amendment rights in this country? What kind of oppressive government is this becoming?
We have separation of church and state, only when it suits them. We can’t have prayer in schools because it may “offend” someone. I, for one, am offended by this mandate.
Jimmy, I think that the Institute of medicine is that one that’s funded by George costanza’s “Human Fund.”
It is important to note that as Roman Catholics our laws come from God, not the government or even the US Constitution, and our eyes should be fixed on Rome where the Visible Head of Christ’s Church resides. This land is not our home, our home is Heaven, if we follow Christ we are not impeded from reaching that destination. If we don,t, we never will.
What about the taxpayers who conscientiouly object to paying taxes to provide free contraceptive coverage? We are Catholic too! Why shouldn’t we be able to say…“NO, I do not want my tax dollars to go toward a pill that may be acting to induce an abortion for a newly implanted egg, a newly created soul”. This is just so wrong!
How many U.S. clergy from Cardinal to parish priest & monastics as well as men/women religious and Catholic laity pray at least five decades of the rosary every day? The battle between Heaven and Hell is a spiritual battle and requires spiritual weapons.The Catholic Church (and some Christianity) is the conscience of the world reminding it frequently of JESUS CHRIST and what it does not want to hear or believe. It is a human tactic and also a tactic of Hell to divide, conquer and,ultimately, destroy a human enemy and,more importantly, divide, conquer and destroy the Catholic Church. Contemporary Church history may well be a sign of the end times before the Second Coming of JESUS CHRIST.
Herod. Nero. Obama
Excellent piece.
Great article, but did you have to include that graphic? Eeewww. I’m gonna have nightmares.
Jimmy:
You are one to choose your words carefully, and when I saw the word ‘evil’ in your title, I was a bit surprised. But I now see why you’re right to say it. To it, I think we could add ‘greedy, self-serving, lying’ and other adjectives to describe this ilk. I hope others -whether they agree with these malefactors or not- will AT LEAST call them out for being dishonest with their rhetoric, decisions, and intentions.
I believe that this is a trial balloon that is intended to be the thermometer of how the country would react to a one or two child policy. In order to do this the government must have in place a “free” form of “control” prior to limiting our families. This is also why elective sterilization is also included here for everyone. The “Pelosi” rule of passing a bill before reading it to know what it truly says and does has opened the eyes of many.
From the IOM’s website:
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) is an independent, nonprofit organization that works outside of government to provide unbiased and authoritative advice to decision makers and the public.
There is a list of reports there as well. Perhaps the report in question is Essential Health Benefits: Balancing Coverage and Cost from October 2011. It costs $54 and is available on the site. I scanned the report brief and slide presentation for “contraceptive” and “reproductive” and got no hits. Maybe this is the one. Maybe it isn’t. But this appears to be recommendations from the medical viewpoint not the viewpoint of the First Amendment.
I’d like to add that the Pill also causes breast and cervical cancer. How is that “Preventative Health?”
What about the World Health Organization’s statement that oral contraceptives are a carcinogen? How is that good for women?
“Further, abstinence and NFP are free.”
NFP is not free. There are costs associated with practicing NFP. It costs to see an NFP practitioner to learn the different methods plus follow up sessions if you have problems or questions. If you are using a monitor and test strips the cost really goes up. ($30-$40 a box for test strips)
The Pill also can cause heart attack and stroke…possibly leading to death. Evil is the absolute appropriate word here.
The message of Fr. Eteneur, whatever happened to him in the course of fighting evil, is worth repeating about the link between contraception and abortion.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxRl3qTrd44
Aside from ‘the forcing’ Is it also so true that the Amish and Muslim populations(religions) do not have to adhere to many sections of ‘the affordable health care act’?
Also why is there no mention of the physiological damge caused to women’s bodies from using ‘preventative’ drugs? The dag-gum commericials are full of disclaimers and warnings.
As citizens we must remember how our government is to work for our benefit. Leg~ makes law, Exec~ impliments law,Jud~enforces. PRAY, Pray, PRAY and then Write, write write.
Even communist Russia has finally faced the fact that ABORTION is not the answer & their population is dwindling at an alarming rate. China has had the one baby policy for decades, it will eventually catch up to them also. The fake Catholics & clergy of all ranks that supported this “change & hope” huckster are still beating his drum. They bought into the “seamless-garment”, social justice garbage which in effect is COMMUNISM ! They helped to put a communist in the oval office & like Sebelius, refuse to admit they were wrong. The best & quickest way to solve the problem is to evict him from the oval office in Nov. He’ll offer a olive branch to you by stopping the mandate just to get re-elected & if that occurs his lies will continue. Santorum or Newt are our only hope. The party of death must be defeated at every level, only then will they respect your views.
Another issue is that some contraceptives are actually abortifacients. They don’t prevent, they kill. I think if women were more familiar with that they would at least request the variety that achieves prevention.
The “Institute Of Medicine” was “founded in 1970,” and uses “a unique process to obtain authoritative, objective, and scientifically balanced answers to difficult questions of national importance.”
Hmm… looks like they missed this one.
Fantastic article! Totally agree with you. What perfect nonsense she speaks. Good grief.
Typo: “is” should be “us”...
“And don’t have the evil spokeswoman talk to is like we’re idiots, either.”
Preach it Brother. Great blog.
That disgusting picture with the children of the devil is not needed & what is with these two cheating on their spouses in public? There is nothing free in Obamacare as someone (that would be us) will have to pay for these people (mostly non-taxpayers) to be misusing the Gift Of Sex that God gave us only to bring His children into the world. Some of the readers believe that “planned parenthood” gives away free condoms: only when they are trying to drum up more business. Consumer Reports, which now has a former president of “pp” N.Y. (Bill Guest) as president; is in bed with “pp” and of course, they see nothing wrong with birth control or abortion. A couple of years ago they “tested” condoms & not surprisingly, the condoms of “pp” had a 50% failure rate in the test lab, which means, that it would have a failure rate of 70% or more in actual use. Of course, these gifts of the devil have very little protection from STDs & the higher the failure rate, the MORE ABORTIONS & THIS WILL MEAN MORE MONEY for murder, inc.; which is their second main goal: the first: to eliminate those groups of people that Hitler/Sanger/“pp” deemed undesirable. Thanks for the great article (except for the picture) Jimmy and as for MIKE MELANDEX: do you really believe your comments as true: just who are these members that are so unbiased? What are their connections to the drug manufacturers & the abortion groups. Closer then Obama & that misfit in the picture above. +JMJ+
THANK YOU FOR CALLING EVIL BY HER NAME.
Question for Ms. Sebelius: If “Today, virtually all American women use contraception at some point in their lives.” then they obviously have been able to obtain it without the help of those of us who find it morally repugnant and cannot in good conscience to pay for it. So why do you want to force us to pay for it?
when you get a uterus, i’ll listen to your point of view….smh. Point that finger!!... judge judge judge!!... Sir, a real man can entertain himself, others, and an IDEA. ‘just saying.
Tom: Do you have a uterus ? The whole agenda of the “party of death” will cause their demise.
I am amazed that no one is even mentioning the fact that a Lay Catholic who happens to employ more than fifty employees will not be allowed to follow his faith either, and I haven’t heard the bishops say anything about that! We are all in this together and we need to point these things out!!! Or do we not have the same concern as the Church institutions?
This is my second post on the same issue:
Can an expert in Canon Law shed light on the reason why Ms Sebelius has not been PUBLICLY excommunicated?
The highlighted adverb seems to me the crux of the matter at this historical juncture. The ‘latae sententiae’ excommunication argument does not clarify anything; it rather conceals the main issue:
The need for an ADEQUATE response from the catholic hierarchy to the severity of the current unprecedented attack against the Catholic Church (and freedom of religion in general).
Thanks
Most opposed arguments consist of: if you don’t want to use contraception don’t, or if you don’t want to use abortifacients don’t, or if you don’t want to get cancer from contraceptives than don’t use them, if you don’t want to fornicate don’t -but you have to give them to others. This is the same faulty moral logic of: if you don’t want to keep slaves don’t have one, but you have provide them for others???!!!
Catholic Hospitals and Universities WILL NOT be a moral agent to the government mandate for these immoral acts.
This Administration of Death is certain to have: abortion, gay marriage and euthanasia are just around the corner for all Catholic Hospitals – you can be sure that is in their game plan.
And we “know” where all these societal attitudes came from - acceptance of contraception. This is not 1968. Fewer and fewer of us are blind; if this had been preached, fewer would be blind. The causal connections of contraception in society are SO Obvious, if we were to go down this path I dare say that America’s days are surely numbered. We cannot accept this!!!
NFP works fine! If this whole contraception thing wasn’t so painfully stupid and deadly – it would be laughable.
The Obama administration’s tactics are even stupid from a logical standpoint…how does he think his socialist agenda will endure without more children around to burden with it? You’d think socialists like him would be wanting a TON more taxpayers around!
It is everywhere repeated that ~90% of Catholics use non-NFP “birth control”, which, we know, winky winky, also includes sterilization, chemical abortion, and surgical abortion. It is known that 54% of Catholics voted for Obama, the man who was (is) not only for late-term partial-birth abortion, but for no mercy for babies who were maimed, yet lived, and were delivered into a trash can.
So…~90% and 54%...
Come November there is enough percentage of overlap between those two percentages that he will win again. He will back off this HHS thing and be “found acceptable”. He will even be marketed as a moderate.
I do not blame our mandarin political class, elected or not (usually not). I don’t even blame individuals! I blame us, and myself. Our personal sins radiate out into the fallen world and make it fall further. Our personal sins conglomerate into communal sin. We are unprecedentedly sinful as a nation: oft-mentioned nazis killed 6 million; we kill 50 million. Mother Teresa came here and saw our abortion and prophesied woe. The woe is not to come. The woe began in 1972 or even a decade earlier, when the pill and divorce exploded onto the scene. We live in the woe. Our hardness of heart has created this. Turn to the Lord, my soul.
Mass readings at the moment are about how well Solomon started out. Solomon then began to worship molech, upon whose altars the worshipers’ own children were raped and then killed. This period of his reign is analogous to our own: the woe times brought on by sin. Turn to the Lord, my soul.
Laudetur Iesus Christus!
MIKE: Exactly. Have the bishops thrown the laity under the bus? Don’t we get to have a conscience too?
For those who want to send a message right.in.the.White.House.living.room, there’s a way to do that. ==>>(http://wh.gov/kl3)
I like your thoughts. Thank you.
I think we need to start ex-communicating these politicians. They are a fraud to the church, our forefathers and what America stands for.
Obama should be impeached then deported. He has, so many times, done shadey things behind congress’s back, has disrepsected the govs. of arizona and florida and is not appropriate in his actions or behaviors. He is a tyrant, an anti-christ and a communist.
What I ‘love’ most about the whole statement is that she says contraceptives are preventative treatment. Holy crap, pregnancy is such a terrible, terrible disease that nearly half the population in human history has had it. :(
I live in the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois, and our Bishop Thomas J. Paprocki recently made a video statement on the diocesan website stating that, under the HHS’s current wording, even Jesus himself would not qualify for an exemption!
http://ct.dio.org/bishops-column/41-new-hhs-ruling-violates-our-first-amendment-rights/video.html
If your employer provides health insurance coverage, your employer helps to pay the monthly cost of that health insurance.
Therefore, if the religious institutions are required to provide birth control, sterilization, etc., those institutions will be paying for birth control, etc.
I would like to point out what the USCCB has said about the narrowest religious exemptions of New York, California, and Oregon. Without this mandate, even in those states, religious employers can avoid the requirement to provide contraception by choosing to follow federal regulations instead of state regulations. The mandate denies them this alternative.
See http://www.usccb.org/news/2012/12-021.cfm for more information.
Spot on, Mr. Akin! Since you have dealt with their arrogant, tyrranical, unconstitutional nonsense so thoroughly I will limit myself to one particular point which made me chuckle: Ms. Sebelius description of “the highly respected” Institute of Medicine. NEWSFLASH FOR MS. SEBELIUS: If an entity is actually superlative in its field no one, ever, describes that institution using adjectival superlatives - if you have to say “highly respected” honey, guess what? It ain’t highly respected! Where cancer research is concerned you don’t say the highly respected Mayo Clinic, you just say the Mayo Clinic, and everyone gets it. Where basketball talent is concerned you don’t say the incredibly talented Michael Jordan, you just say Michael Jordan, and everyone gets it. Where ham-fisted attempts at tyranny masquerading as democratic and benevolent government are concerned you don’t say the astoundingly deceptive and arrogant Obama Administration, you just say the Obama Administration, and everyone gets it.
I’d like to echo what a number of others have said: Isn’t it time to begin using the weapon of excommunication?
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced a little over a week ago that almost all employers, including Catholic employers, will be forced to offer their employees’ health coverage that includes sterilization, abortion-inducing drugs, and contraception. Almost all health insurers will be forced to include those “services” in the health policies they write. And almost all individuals will be forced to buy that coverage as a part of their policies.
VA Bishops seemed to recognize Catholic employers and employees having to pay for this mess, too.
Three women senators (democratic) had an opinion article in today’s WSJ. They are pushing this for all they’ve got (which ain’t much) - We (Catholics) are draconian in our thoughts/beliefs - as far as their words imply. We want women to remain shackled to their stoves. AND ya know - when I am tired, and not “armoured”, I almost believe their b.s. - so I have no doubt that many Catholics, and especially non-catholics DO believe their lies and fall - hook, line and sinker. Obama must be beside himself that he has such liberal *token* Catholic spewing such lies. Evil is evil - there is no in-between. I am SO relieved - that for now, I can seek out stronger/wiser Catholics to reassure me they ARE lies - and to weed out the cr**!!
I am astounded by comments of so-called Catholics (one guy stated: - WHY should I have to do what the church tells me to do - when I voluntarily joined.”—HUH? What kind of RCIA class did he attend. AND - is that going to be half of the worlds excuse…“Well - I chose you - God, so I thought I could do things my own way…”)
God bless you, Jimmy!!
The issue is really very simple.
Catholics of any stripe may not disobey the Church’s teaching on this topic.
Therefore, civil disobedience is called for.
That means a certain kind of white martyrdom will erupt.
We will and SHOULD have all the Catholics in the United States of America except minors and the elderly and infirm chaining themselves to the White House gates over this. Politely, of course, and picking up trash after themselves, of course, and without bad language or violence, of course.
But the bishops could organize a list of some kind. I imagine that the registries of the parishes would serve as a good data source for the distribution of last names among Catholics. The bishops could break the Catholic population into 31 roughly equally-sized groups by last names, and then say: On the 1st of the month, those of you with last names Aaron through Ash go chain yourselves to the gates or those of the nearest relevant state house. Here are your instructions for how to do it. (With a little backing from the Holy See, we could have an addendum: Anyone who prays the Rosary or the Divine Mercy Chaplet while so chained receives a plenary indulgence.)
Then, on the 2nd day of the month, all Catholics (except minors, elderly, and inform) are similarly mobilized for last names Ashton through Bickert, and so on. For 31 days.
Don’t like that plan? Very well; feel free to edit it and polish its practical details.
But the point remains: It is time for sit-ins and marches and chained-to-the-gate and all of that. Religious freedom is on the line.
As for Catholics who give aid and comfort to the enemy?
It is time to revive the full procedure: Bell, Book, and Candle.
For those who don’t get the reference, go to YouTube and check out the Excommunication Scene from Becket starring Richard Burton. Also check out the painting “The Excommunication of Robert the Pious” by Jean Paul Laurens.
It is time.
OK, so I’m wondering. My wife and I buy our health insurance from my wifes employer that will now be required to purchase coverage for these immoral “preventative services”. As a faithful, believing Catholic I cannot participate in a gravely sinful act. I also know there is no compromise between this policy and the teachings of our Church. Therefore, I cannot continue to purchase my health insurance… Correct? It states right on her pay stub how much of her income goes to our health plan. I am disabled and cannot work so we can’t buy from a company I work for. Where does that leave us? Does she as an individual citizen have a right to opt out based upon her religious beliefs and still get coverage?
“next time” Jimmy?
You should pray Sibelius never has a next time!
Regardless of whether Obama changes his position or not, do not vote for them! Also the USCCB should abandon Obamacare support altogether. They had no business promoting it, and they should have nothing to do with it! It doesn’t matter what little good may be contained in it. You do not make deals or compromises with evil. Devils are liars and you are only conceding more ground to them. They’ll gladly take what little they get and have a long term plan to take everything you’ve got eventually.
This next election will be a test of what the worth of Catholicism is in America.
Let us not forget that contraceptives are not good for women: the pill can cause blood clots and other problems. The Depoprovera shot has many side effects and we all know that steroids are not good for women! The IUD can perforate the uterus. Even sterilisation can cause problems. So I think the health risks of such methods should be inxluded when making the case against their use. They are simply not good for women, especially with long term use.
As stated above, et us not forget that contraceptives are not good for women: the pill can cause blood clots and other problems. The Depoprovera shot has many side effects and we all know that steroids are not good for women! The IUD can perforate the uterus. Even sterilisation can cause problems. So I think the health risks of such methods should be inxluded when making the case against their use. They are simply not good for women, especially with long term use.
Exactly what did the church expect was going to happen after the bill was signed into law with the church leaders seeming to endorse the bill? There was much discussion of the bill before it was signed and if the church leaders paid just a little attention to what was included they would have seen this coming. There are more ‘surprises’ in store. Just wait until the ‘National Public Health Service Corp’ begins evaluating hospitals, facilities and providers to ensure they are ‘providing services’ which the HHS deems ‘necessary’ to the ‘local community’ - so when they find religious hospitals and facilities are not providing abortions, sterilization or abortifacients and birth control they can move in and force them to provide these ‘necessary services’ or be closed down. Think it won’t happen? Read the law…... this and much more will be coming our way.
One reason the Obama admin is going to get away with the current mandate is because the the church has failed to send out representatives to discuss the real issue - that of the evil of abortion and these other services. Rather they send out reps who have said things like ‘well those services are available for people elsewhere, they can get birth control at a pharmacy, etc.’ and they follow it up with references to the first amendment - what about some references to the bible or to church doctrine? How about instead of making it a first amendment issue they make it an issue of the faith, of doctrine, of good v evil. How about they rebut the assertions being made by the WH that 99% of catholic women use birth control - why not clearly state that ‘practicing catholics’ should know that the church does not condone the use of birth control or any of the services the admin is mandating. Why not use this as a teaching or reaffirming opportunity to ensure that catholics hear what the church actually teaches rather than what the politicians tell them they ‘think’ the church means.
I would like to see the actual research that supports the notion that “By passing out free contraceptives you create a false sense of security regarding pregnancy and thus encourage more promiscuous sex, but the very same attitude of irresponsibility leads to greater contraceptive failure (because the irresponsible don’t use the conception consistently and correctly), leading to more accidental pregnancies, leading to a greater number of abortions.”
Why then do countries such as Great Britain, which have universal healthcare, and presumably free access to birth control and abortion—have significantly *lower* abortion rates then the United States?
Especially with a significantly lower Catholic population compared to the US?
And if something like 80 percent of Catholic women use birth control, the Bishops have completely failed to preach the evils of contraception to Catholics. And yet we are blaming Obama for this?
Since the advent of these ‘critical preventative health services’ the incidence of unplanned pregnancy, abortion, child abuse, child sexual abuse, divorce, adultery and the proliferation of pornography have skyrocketed.
Abortion has not decreased unwanted pregnancy or resulted in better health for women. Contraception has contributed to the massive increase in all of the societal ills listed above.
If the definition of madness is doing the same things over and over expecting different results, our society is completely insane. Sebelius is just the logical extension of that lunacy.
Wonderful posts. @livingmyfaith: we should certainly oppose the mandate based on our conscience and adherence to the teachings of the Church-but we must welcome all those who stand with us based on our First Amendment rights as well. Some do not share our opposition to birth control, sterilization, and abortion pills, but they do agree with freedom of religion and are thus our allies. They and I pray every Catholic lay person, clergy, and Religious should have no illusions about what will follow if the Feds succeed in imposing this mandate. Nor should any count on any compromise meant to put Obama back in office as he clearly will impose terrible restrictions and demands once he is back for another term. We cannot compromise with the devil that is behind this outrage. I fully expect chaos after the election so we must hold fast and keep the rosaries and Chaplets beseeching God to have mercy and deliver us from the Evil One. As JP II said as he stepped onto the balcony as he became pope: Be not afraid!” “if God be for us, who can be against us.” we are promised that the gates of Hell will not prevail against the Church. If this Administration thinks it can prevail, it has listened to the lies of Satan. We remember Who is in charge. And when we turn to Him, we wil be saved from our enemies. Pray and trust! And praise God!
Brad, splendid post. BTW, why should anyone believe Obama’s stat that 99% of Catholic women use birth control (artificia?) how would he know? It is just one more invented number from the Adm, much like the unemployment figures.
Humana vitae says it all….and all has come to pass because this teaching from the one, holy, Catholic and apostolic church has been too long ignored by our non-Catholic brothers and sisters, and watered-down by our very own clergy in the confessionals.
Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.
Is it me, or is there a striking resemblance between president Obama’s HHS Secretary and Grima Wormtongue? It seems that she’s been taking a lesson from Joseph Goebbels: “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.” And “think of the press as a great keyboard on which the government can play.”
This is simple. The ruling is clearly unconstitutional. The First Amendment prohibits the impeding of the free exercise of religion. There is no constitutional right to an employer giving health care. What am I missing?
“Perhaps their offices are located next door to the Superfriends’ generically-named Hall of Justice.”
Hilarious line.
Great article, thanks for your passion.
Jimmy,
Very nice analysis. Thank you for all you do. This is clearly an attack on the Church that extends well beyond just the respect for conscience. Considering the disqualifying clause of serving non-members of the religious organization, this represents a direct attack on the mission of the Church to evangelize! I’d appreciate hearing your thoughts on that as well.
Thank God for automatic excommunication.
@David’s comment above is good—what about us individuals? But also, a policy with this coverage is not just a threat to one’s conscience. If a Catholic wage-earner has a family plan with such coverage, one of his fallen away dependents (up to age 25, now, remember) might surreptitiously make use of the offending coverage, resulting in the abortion of the wage earner’s grandchild.
THINK ABOUT THAT, FOLKS!
This involves a kind of physical defense of our own families. It’s more than just religious liberty, or contributing to the sinful acts of others.
LAURA: you want facts, ask all of those that have come down with STDs because they thought that it was “SAFE”. Your facts about Great Britain are, to be nice, fairy tales. Will you explain, why, when condoms became “acceptable”, the divorce rate soared, STDs (many of which was unknown) are spreading rapidly and are becoming more difficult to treat and can’t even be cured, why the money hungry, baby killing business called by a false name: “planned parenthood” sells condoms with an over 50% failure rate, gives pornography to kids disguised as “sex-education”? If you had an ounce of common sense, which seems to be missing from college graduates (maybe from too much drugs during college), you would be able to see why you wouldn’t need “actual research” as the proof of the pudding is right in front of you. Yes, our Bishops & Priests helped this along by NOT BEING MEN OF GOD & not preaching & teaching about the evils of birth-control. They have been dis-obedient to the Popes and the Teachings of the Church & THEY WILL HAVE TO ANSWER TO GOD, THEMSELVES. +JMJ+
Guess what? If we refuse our employers health policy because they have been forced to supply free contraceptives, abortions etc. we will then be enrolled in the government program which also provides free contraceptives, abortions etc. This is the quickest way for the government to get all of us in their control under the guise of our “best interest”.
I don’t know if anyone has mentioned this, either, but the Pill causes severe blood clots. Also not preventative care.
Why not just deny all health insurance to everyone? After all, you are obviously immoral if you get sick, or God would not be punishing you.
Why should I pay for the healthcare of a sinner?
@Winston: We’re all sinners, everyone gets sick because we sin. A person’s property is an extension of the person, therefore how a person’s money is spent represents that person’s intentions. Catholic hospitals are willing to treat all sinners with any disease. Catholics aren’t willing to to also be responsible for the sicknesses that causes the need for their hospitality; that would be Planned Parenthood’s domain.
Pelosi, Sibelius, and shacked-up Gov. Andy Cuomo should ALL be excommunicated. The church hierarchy is all bark, no bite.
At least Kathleen Sebelius’ Bishop had the courage to ban her from receiving Holy Communion. Pelosi is as bad as Sebelius or worse…and yet, she continues to receive Holy Communion. Perhaps Pelosi’s Bishop has told her to refrain from receiving Holy Communion since she publicly stands against the teachings of the Church in matters of grave moral evil and urges others to follow her in her defiance; and she mocks the Bishops publicly…I’m sure Pope Benedict spoke to her when she met in private with His Holiness…but I believe the time has come to publicly remind her that she has set herself against the Church and until she publicly recants, she should refrain from presenting herself as a Catholic in good standing by receiving the Eucharist. This would make clear to all that abortion is a grave evil and would, perhaps, open Mrs. Pelosi’s soul to conversion…we can only hope and pray.
Pelosi has publicly stated that no one will stop her from receiving the Eucharist. She also blathered on that she would spit it out if she pleased. She has no respect for the Church & she deserves no respect. She’s from San Francisco & her Bishop might have talked to her in 2008 but he has been lax ever since. She constantly publicly denounces Church Dogmas & her Bishop says nothing. In D.C. the Cardinal there hides behind words as usual, he don’t believe in using ex-communication stopping one from receiving the Host as a “weapon”. Weak logic from a man that is supposed to know the canons. Let her spew her heresies, but, let her do so as a Non-Catholic !
Tom:
We have EVERY right to call a spade a spade. Not having a uterus doesn’t disqualify anyone from having an opinion on this or any other matter. I don’t snort cocaine: does that mean I can have no opinion on those that do? I don’t beat my wife — I’m not married. Does that mean I can have no opinion on those that do? Grow up!
Laura:
80% of Catholic women use birth control? Where do you get that? If you want to write “Catholic” women — it seems to me that the Catholic Church has followed the sin of Onan from the word go, so to call them Catholic is a stretch — that is fine. I agree with you on the Bishops; they are paying the price of what they and their forebears have done.
Winston:
Ridiculous post. As Mark Trail wrote, you couldn’t even cover yourself because you and I are sinners. It’s irrelevent to this post. However, then they are treating something as a “disease” that isn’t, that is wrong. When they are promoting “in the name of health” things that common sense tells us aren’t healthful, that is wrong. If a condom, for example, by even the “best” estimation is 99.7% effective “when used correctly”, that means it fails .3%. That is a human life that may come about. Now, if that condom can’t completely stop a sperm, how will it stop the AIDS virus which is much smaller? It’s Russian roulette with lives.
The statistics about how many women use or have used contraceptives is irrelevant. The government mandate is like asking Alcoholics Anonymous to keep an open tab for their members. And with the latest “compromise” it’s saying that the tab can only be used for food, but the bar must supply drinks for “free”.
The fact that 95% of AA members use or have used alcohol or even plan on continuing to use alcohol despite being members of AA is irrelevant. AA should be able to run itself in a way that does not go against their mission.
Birth control and abortion have been condemned by the church since the first century in the Didache. This is not a recent teaching of the church. I agree with those who see this HHS mandate as a first step to greater evils such as forced sterilization and a one-child policy. If Catholics accept government-mandated birth control, the slippery slope will continue along to euthanasia and the elimination of the handicapped. Have we learned nothing from Hitler and his beginnings?
Being a recent convert and having grown up in the Feminist-Democrat Ideology Bubble,
I can tell you this.
1. Abortions are good for women, children and society because poverty is caused by too many children.
2. Abortion is good for children because it is better to be dead than poor.
3. Not allowing abortion kills people because not having abortion causes overpopulation and mass-starvation.
All of this is nonsense, but it is such a deep part of their assumptions about life, they don’t even bother to explain themselves. It’s just… *obvious*.
We have been praying for true leadership from our bishops for a long time. They are finally beginning to provide it. We must stand behind our bishops and really live our Catholic Faith no matter what the cost. Something that was said by Immaculee Ilibagiza at a pro-life conference really sticks out in my mind: “No matter what happens to you, ALWAYS trust Jesus. Also, remember the simple truth: When we speak about health care, we must speak accurately. Contraception does not cure a disease or remove a diseased organ. It takes a perfectly healthy organ and either destroys it or causes it to malfunction. NORMAL PEOPLE SAY: “IF IT AIN’T BROKE, DON’T FIX IT.” Planned Parenthood says: “IF IT AIN’T BROKE, BREAK IT”.
USCCB is churning this issue, whereas they should be opposing Obamacare, the root of all evil, lest we be faced with these grinding conundrums every other month.
USCCB is not “the bishops” nor is it “the bishop”.
Defund USCCB (who has no canonical authority) and instead ask the individual bishops to do their duty within each of their own dioceses. Sebelius’ bishop should consider excommunicating Sebelius, Pelosi’s bishop and the bishop of “Sister Obamacare” Carol Keehan likewise.
Each bishop should also consider the cases of derelict congressman or other public CINOs as well. They all give scandal to the faithful.
That would be the way to “stand up” to Obamacare. All the rest is hot air.
Bishops in Communion with Peter in Rome have binding Authority. Each has His own Church or Diocese.
WE ARE THERE!
This is surely a profound moment.
*+*+*+*+*God’s plan’s never change, they never collapse, and ,with God, all things are possible*+*+*+*+* Heb 13:8 *+*+*+*+* God has no Plan “B” *+*+*+*
Hello out there, is there anyone there? By the way, there are 7 Billion people on this earth EATING it UP! Wake up! We are crushing the earth! Plus, it is a proven fact that smaller families equal a better way of life just ask any the millions of Brazilian Catholic Women who have had a tubal ligation. How many of you guys are sporting 13 children? Ah, just what I thought. Can’t afford them. Better to “time it and rhyme it”, which, by the way is contraception. Also, it’s only with modern medicine from the EVIL science that you can even successfully birth and raise 13 children to adulthood and you survive it yourself. Oh, by the way, the pill does not automatically turn you into a promiscuous !@#$%, but a penis sure can and a deviant one at that!
Ximena:
Another hoax! The earth is not overpopulated or being crushed by us. The arrogance! How many people live in poverty because their governments are as crooked as the day is long? A proven fact that smaller families are better; really? Define better! When parents HAVE to go to nursing homes because their 1-plus kid(s) are too busy to help take care of them and they have no grandchildren? You’d also be surprised what you can “afford” when you don’t think you have to keep up with the Joneses. Time it an rhyme sure as heck WASN’T contraception, by the way. The woman’s body has it built in that she can only get pregnant a few days of the month; science has told us that. For serious reasons, pregnancy may be put off but surely not for the “reasons” given in many cases. The Church has NEVER proclaimed science evil; that is a fiction. And if you believe that the availability of the pill has not had an influence on men and their predations, you are a fool!
Dear James. Your are an arrogant and selfish person. Of course the earth is being crushed by over population. Exactly where do you live….Idaho? We do not have the resources to sustain our current habit of life, that is a fact. There is plenty of data to back up what I say. Where is yours? Kids not taking care of their parents? That has nothing to do with numbers and everything to do with the WAcko way Americans have brainwashed themselves to abandon the family. Self indulgence is more important than hanging with your family, etc. Has nothing to do with numbers. How many TV’s, computers, electronics do you have in your household? You seem to spending a lot of time on this site. HOw much face time do you spend with YOUR mother? Re the pill and predation: your priest don’t need the pill and they love to prey on young boys. You and your beliefs are the real evil in that it is ignorance that you spew. You are the true hoaxer and you guys are mean too. EVIL! I wonder how often Jesus used the word EVIL to explain himself? I happen to know the guy….he didn’t.
You write with such hatred Ximena. I wonder what you’re really angry about or afraid of. If you came to vent, i think you achieved your goal. If you’re hoping to change hearts and minds, you might want to consider another approach.
Ximena:
I am arrogant and selfish? I guess I am also judgemental, right?
There is actually plenty of space on this earth, by the way. That is a fact. I remember reading many studies that you could take at least the population of the US and give them an acre of land in Texas. It may have been the entire world. And by the way, several countries in Europe and Asia: France and Russia, for example, are begging women to have children; their peoples are slowly dying because of all this “quality of life”. That is a fact, too.
I also remember Paul Ehrlich and others sounding the alarm about overpopulation and resultant “evils” in the 60s and having to eat crow.
Kids not taking care of their parents IS part of the problem; where do you think the abandonment of families begins? Parents think — are led to believe? — that they have to do all this extra stuff to keep up that lifestyle you talk about. That means smaller families — yes, they are brainwashed into that, where 1 or 2 kids is almost considered a huge family. And kids are brainwashed to let someone else take care of their aging parents because, after all, there’s only 1 or 2 of us and we can’t do it. And besides, mom and dad really didn’t have “time” for me! I have one computer and two TVs. That’s it. And I am by myself. And I am not on this site as much as you think!
I spend a lot of time with my mother, thank you very much. And you?
That is a boguscomment about priests; it was in fact a very small minority. Any is too many! but to make this out to be a more widespread problem is pure folly. You spew this venom of hate. it is you and your “beliefs” that are destroying this world! Where do you think all this brainwashing, consumerism, etc., is coming from; following Christ or following the evil one?
You happen to know Jesus? He NEVER used the word evil to explain himself? He NEVER talked about evil, eh? Who is the ignorant and mean one here?
Or are you saying that he used evil to describe Himself? That would be even more evil.
One’s amazement never ceases at the mythologies that have overtaken imaginations these days. I wonder what such persons like you, Ximena, who think that “overpopulation” causes rising oceans, lead in the skies, general discomfort and hair loss would think upon first learning of your having a fatal diagnosis.
“Imagination governs the world.” ~ Napoleon Bonaparte ~
Oh, and I am one of six, the “spare kid” who took care of his Mumzy for ten years, who had a childless marriage, because we were deceived by the “Population Bombers.” Having seeded and lost my children from an IUD human experiment foisted on the unwary, the marriage was lost. I spend hours on my computer turning back the tide of mental effluent as best I can. I have saved dozens of children from the Modern Molech who devours the bodies of the innocent, and the souls of mourning mothers. And I sleep very well at night.
I am continually dismayed by the notion that the exemption should be for religious institutions. This mandate is a vile symptom of an evil law that is unconstitutional on its face. I guess the bishops and those at the register are all perfectly happy to get an exemption from this while the rest of us Catholics who work and live in the world are to be forced to participate in these things. The government has no business forcing any of us to purchase anything… ever. The infringement of religious liberty in this case is just a symptom of the evil being done here. And while it is admittedly wrong and should be a opposed, let us not give up our rights in order to win a small and temporary concession for Catholic institutions.
Dr J,
You have hit the nail on the head. Just because the government frames it through the eyes of the employer, doesn’t mean that is the only agent whose conscience is affected.
The principle of employer-sponsored insurance should be scrapped. It was only a figment of World War II policies anyway.
But even more importantly, Obamacare should be scrapped - then the employer/employee issue could get resolved by the free market.
We have Ocare thanks to the pathetic posturing and straining of USCCB staff. Maybe if we empower the bishops to man up by getting rid of USCCB (or the American Patriotic Catholic Church), we might have a chance at turning the clock back on the drug of socialized medicine.
“I am continually dismayed by the notion that the exemption should be for religious institutions. This mandate is a vile symptom of an evil law that is unconstitutional on its face. I guess the bishops and those at the register are all perfectly happy to get an exemption from this while the rest of us Catholics who work and live in the world are to be forced to participate in these things. The government has no business forcing any of us to purchase anything… ever. The infringement of religious liberty in this case is just a symptom of the evil being done here. And while it is admittedly wrong and should be a opposed, let us not give up our rights in order to win a small and temporary concession for Catholic institutions.”
Sue and Dr. J
Great points. I think this is the beginning — or continuation perhaps — of a steady intrusion of state into the Church. I love the liberals who always proclaim — wrongly — the “separation of Church and state” — which is nowhere in the Constitution and in which they mean keeping the Church out of the state — and yet have no issue when the state tries to tell the Church what to do. They feign ignorance but they know exactly what this is; they’ll use weasel words like “if you don’t want to ...., don’t do it” or some such or they will say they respect the “freedom” of Christians and the Church to do whatever “no matter how odious we believe it is.” I refer to the last issue of Newsweek and Andrew Sullivan’s article on this issue and how he believes — surprise, surprise — Obama will win re-election because of how he has framed the issue. Remember this is the same man who is “married” to “his husband” and claims that he respects the “right” of the Church” to not recognize this — but then will pillory the Church for doing so.
Mark:
Great point!
I was ninth of 10 and am 47. That was standard in those days and we took care of dad in his last years at home. Didn’t it used to be that there were no funeral homes; you showed a deceased member in the parlor? How many parents are still taken care of at home anymore when they are aged — and I am not referring here to those that simply do need special care. As I wrote before, you’d be surprised of what you CAN do without. We played “school” as kids on warm summer evenings with a simple stone and had a blast. We pitched pennies — only ours were cut out of the newspaper, we were so poor!!!
I guess PT Barnum was right that “there is a sucker born every minute” and we should have reminded those who were manipulated into supporting Obamacare in the beginning. And how many Catholics will continue to prostitute their integrity to the democrats this time around. I suppose they think Catholics are that stupid and hopefully more will learn this time not to believe the lying promises of the left.
Bob Gravlin:
How much of this is poor catechesis of the past 45 years and how much is it that many “Catholics” like having their ears tickled (refer to Paul)? Our bishops — unfortunately, even the good ones have to rebuild the edifices razed by their predecessors; for example, I believe the vocations “shortage” was as spontaneous (“it just happened because of .... blah blah blah”) as an arson fire — are finally getting some kind of backbone; yes, it is late but it’s never too late. However, how many of them — and us — are willing to be martyred: white and red?
Mary, Conceived Without Sin, Ora Pro Nobis!
Sacred Heart of Jesus, Have Mercy on Us!
I am quite alarmed by the American trend of right-wing anti-intellectualism. Since everyone here enjoys their own twist on secular “medical factoids” about the harms of taking oral contraceptives, I’d like to offer a scientific list of facts outlining the BENEFITS of oral contraceptives to a woman’s health: The use of oral contraceptives (birth control pills) for five years or more decreases the risk of ovarian cancer in later life by 50%. Combined oral contraceptive use reduces the risk of ovarian cancer by 40% and the risk of endometrial cancer by 50% compared to never users. The risk reduction increases with duration of use, with an 80% reduction in risk for both ovarian and endometrial cancer with use for more than 10 years. The risk reduction for both ovarian and endometrial cancer persists for at least 20 years. Taking oral contraceptives also reduces the risk of colorectal cancer, and improves conditions such as pelvic inflammatory disease, dysmenorrhea, premenstrual syndrome, and acne. Additionally, birth control pills reduce symptoms of polycystic ovary syndrome, and decrease the risk of anemia.
Google “oral contraceptive fact sheet” and make up your own mind.
If you believe in good and evil, it should go well beyond health risks as a factor for using birth control. If you don’t thunk about the death of a newly-conceived person as a problem, that in itself should be a problem…for those with consciences anywhere above the setting of “zero.” Fofr those below that setting, it won’t be of any interest.
My conscience is not for sale; some consciences have been sold for cheap.
@Mark - look up “conception” on Google - based on your arguments (and apparent lack of knowledge on contraceptives OR reproduction), you are clearly an ignorant. If I cannot afford a Mercedes Benz, can I call it my “newly-purchased car”? If I am not hired by a potential employer, can I speak of that place of employment as my “newly-acquired job”? No. Something is not “newly-conceived” if ovulation is prevented.
Why must you spew such hate? Evil? Really? Sebelius and Obama aren’t forcing anything on anyone. The reality is that most insurance plans already provide for birth control and abortion and there ARE actually other medical reasons for “birth” control” such as ThePill. Are women who need this to be denied? If you don’ t want to use birth control, thn don ’ t. The government is not forcing you to. PPAC does not force anyone or any organization to do anything. It provides for health insurance for nearly everyone, espescially the poor and working class who don’t have it. It is not socialized medicine as it does not make healthcare free or run by the government. Doctors and hospitals still get paid, It provides for health insurance - and by the way -it was what was the original Republucan version for health care that passed. One has not committed sin for having insurance that provides for these medical options. Choosing to utilize them is the sin.
This issue is a civil rights issue, that is the right to act according to one’s beliefs according to the first amendment of freedom of religion free of coercion of conscience. These services are available and perhaps those who support them could pay so that they could be even cheaper than PP and other agencies already provide them for. We would discourage people from using them but it was until recently still a free country and we want to protect the bill of rights.
athenian_oracle: google “conceptus.”
Bullying and bait-and-switch games are for rubes.
My conscience is not for sale.
“Imagination governs the world.”
~Napoleon Bonaparte~
Conceptus is the product of conception at any point between fertilization and birth. If there is no ovulation, there is no conception. If there is no fertilization, there is no conception. Mark, might I suggest you work on your reading comprehension?
Athenian:
Those are some mighty interesting claims you make. The Pill actually does all this? Where is this info available because anyone can throw numbers out there? Is there not some controversy about HRT and some negative side effects right now, especially with increased risks of cancer? So messing up the hormones — admittedly already there but now in a larger way — actually helps all this? I know that vitamins, minerals, etc., are necessary but when they are in too high a quantity, there can be serious consequences.
Right, if ovulation is prevented, there is no conception. How about when ovulation isn’t prevented and there is a conception? A human being dies — as Horton tells us: a person is a person no matter how big or small.
Michelle:
I love that argument: “if you don’t…. then don’t.” The issue is why should I be paying for it? My rates are going to go up because these are for FREE; they aren’t part of the deductible; and the insurance companies will spread the cost to its other clients. Or should they do this out of the kindness of their hearts? I had a stroke a couple of years ago because I have a genetic disposition to clot — at 44 — and must take coumadin; am I going to get such a break? That is a legit medical necessity but no dice.
Tell me how many women are using the Pill, etc., for any other “medical” reason? There probably are some but is it the overwhelming majority? Also, does anyone understand where PP got its start? The racist, eugenicist, elitist teachings of one Margaret Sanger, among others, where even Faye Wattleton had to acknowledge some of the “bad things” years ago. That included forced sterilization and abortion, by the way.
Ovulation is natural, normal and healthy. Sacramental marriage: natural, normal and healthy, plus it is part of the Sacred Order that rules the universe. Why do you have a problem with natural, normal and healthy? Delphic-_-Oracle, might I suggest you work on getting in balance with the the natural order first, and then the unseen world won’t look so unapproachable to you.
James, I am so glad you asked! I don’t throw numbers around - here are just a few of my scientific sources:
1.) Descreases risk of ovarian cancer: Bast RC, Brewer M, Zou C, et al. (2007). “Prevention and early detection of ovarian cancer: mission impossible?”. Recent Results Cancer Res. 174: 91–100.
2.) Reduction of ovarian and endometrial cancer: Speroff, Leon; Darney, Philip D. (2005). “Oral Contraception”. A Clinical Guide for Contraception (4th ed.). Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. pp. 21–138.
3.) Reduces risk of colorectal cancer, and improves conditions such as pelvic inflammatory disease, dysmenorrhea, premenstrual syndrome, and acne: Huber JC, Bentz EK, Ott J, Tempfer CB (September 2008). “Non-contraceptive benefits of oral contraceptives”. Expert Opin Pharmacother 9 (13): 2317–25.
4.) Reduce symptoms of polycistic ovary syndrom and reduces risk of anemia: Nelson, Randy J. (2005). An introduction to behavioral endocrinology (3rd ed.). Sunderland, Mass: Sinauer Associates.
Mark - I am in balance with the scientific community. You see “natural order” where I see hegemonic, misogynistic control.
Thank you Jimmy Akin. There are many who can see right through her words, but not many who can articulate their concerns as well as you have in this article. our extended family of eleven, five of these through the grace of adoption, really appreciate your sharp comments concerning this “Catholic” woman’s doublespeak. Our constant prayers are with you as you fight the good fight—as they are with our country.
I think the true misogynist is anyone who promotes the pill with its numerous side-effects:
blood clots
high blood pressure
cervical cancer
liver tumors
skin cancer
cycle irregularities
loss of sexual desire (how ironic)
abdominal cramps
bloating
water retention
nausea and vomiting
vaginal infections
gall bladder disease
permanent infertility after getting off the pill
migraines
Not exactly the vitamins that some try to make them out to be. The pill is designed to make willing women available to men so that they don’t have to control their sexual desires. It suppresses the natural working of the human body in order to turn women into objects of sexual pleasure. If that’s not misogynist, nothing is.
See this article which is heavily referenced:
http://ccli.org/resources/pub/brochures/ThePill.pdf
But all this is a distraction from the true topic of Jimmy’s post: Organizations should be able to offer health insurance that is in line with its mission and beliefs, whether others disagree with them or not.
John - I find your attempt at “research” laughable. In addition to many of the other falsities in your list, I find myself wondering exactly how the pill causes “vaginal infections”? Also, whilst I provided a list of scientific articles proving the health benefits I noted, you have chosen to link your “research” to the very non-biased Couple to Couple League, an international, non-profit organization driven by religious values from a Roman Catholic point of view in their publications and classes. I applaud your attempts to back up your claims with research, but the pamphlet (not “article”) is so heavily biased it actually undoes your credibility.
a letter I wrote to our pastor and deacons today..These are the true issues to emphasize.
Dear Fr
I was thinking some more about this HHS mandate and how this administration would like to divide the church and to make this a birth control issue, figuring they could divide Catholics on this. But really it is a civil rights issue, That is, do we believe that God has given us unalienable rights, among them being the right to freedom of religion and of conscience or do we believe the government should be so kind as to allow us certain freedoms which they could give or take away? And if the church caves on this one what’s next, being required to do same sex marriages, assisted suicide, church hiring of church ministers, (the supreme court recently said no to that one), etc?
Also I think they think we are stupid like most in our society, in that we are expected to briefly get mad about this and then once the media cycle passes to something else, we will forget about it.
So, Fr. and deacons, please continue to educate our parish on these issues and continue to remind us of the constitutional and religious issues involved here.
As for birth control, for another time, the worst dangers are that it increases sexual promiscuity and the dangers of that, both spiritual, emotional and in health consequences should be obvious to any willing to look honestly.
athenian,
While ccli might be “biased” because they’re partners with the Church in their supposed conspiracy to control women (for what purposes I’m sure only you know), if you scrolled down to the references section rather than dismissing it because it happens to be on the ccli website, the 64 references cited are mostly from secular organizations. Also, the World Health Organization classified estrogen-progestogen
oral contraceptives as a Group 1 carcinogen (carcinogenic to humans).
I guess the conspiracy must be deep and widespread.
Go ahead with taking your “vitamins” and laughing all you want; it only sounds like a fool’s laughter to me.
Care to address the main topic of this post as to why an organization, perhaps even CCLI, should be required to provide health insurance that includes contraceptives?
Here’s the WHO reference for you:
http://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/topics/ageing/cocs_hrt_statement.pdf
Here’s the WHO reference for you:
http://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/topics/ageing/cocs_hrt_statement.pdf
John - the only vitamins I am taking are prenatal vitamins. I love how just because I am in support of the pill, you assume I’m sitting over here popping them like pez candy… It’s not just my “conspiracy” - there are many philosophers over the years who have thoroughly documented the church’s mission to control women and sexuality. I did read the pamphlet, as well as many of the cited articles. Unfortunately, the authors of the pamphlet twisted a lot of the medical findings to suit their campaign, hence my dismissal. As an educated woman, I feel fortunate enough to be able to critically engage with any text that is thrown my way. You call it “fool’s laughter”, but I can’t help but shake my head at your own worship of ignorance…
“The pill is designed to make willing women available to men so that they don’t have to control their sexual desires. ” John E you crack me up! If that were the case then you guys would ALL be in favor of the pill. Actually, being on the pill puts a woman more in control of who she has sex with and when. Being in control give a person power, which is exactly what you and your Church can’t stand…women in power. Barefoot and pregnant and viewed as a second class citizen is the idea you and your Church support. That worked about two centuries ago. We’ll luckily, most Catholics and most educated humans doesn’t subscribe to this concept. Also, exactly how is the government forcing anyone to take that pill? Are they putting it in the water now? But lets be honest, all that natural/health evils mumbo jumbo that you talk about isn’t your true concern nor the Churches. Really, what you and the Church find so EVIL, are women in control. I’d be a little worried also if I were you. You are an antiquated breed loosing center stage, thank god.
Read more: http://www.ncregister.com/blog/spokeswoman-of-evil-speaks/#ixzz1nsGFhhzt
No Ximena. There are men that view women with respect. And there is such a thing as self-control. The kind of control that you advocate is “I want to do what I want, and God Better Mind His Own Divine Business”.
Modern science can predict with 99 percent accuracy when a woman is fertile and when she is not. If you want to slam the door on God or commit fornication or adultery that is your choice. First understand that “such people, unless they repent, will not inherit the Kingdom of God”. Second don’t have me pay for it, or silience those schools, hospitals and universities that teach otherwise.
athenian,
I have no doubt you have an education that you’re very proud of, but if you can’t address the primary issue, then I have even less confidence in your ability to critically review research. I think you’re wearing some pretty thick ideological lenses. And the World Health Organization is far from being one to support the views of the Catholic Church.
Your strawmen and red herrings aside, the main issue is not one of forcing women to use contraception but of forcing organizations to buy it for those who do, despite it being antithetical to the organization’s mission and beliefs. Organizations should be free to set policies, including the type of health insurance it offers, that are in line with its mission and beliefs. People should be free to join organizations that are in line with their beliefs, leave those that are not, start their own, or purchase their own insurance. The HHS mandate is ideological bullying pure and simple.
And of course you’re not taking the pill if you’re taking prenatal vitamins and trying to get or stay pregnant or breast-feeding or have a normal cycle. But with all the supposed benefits of the pill, soon to be free, are you saying you’re NOT going to go back on them? Are you crazy?!!
Gotta go. The institutional hierarchy has recognized my devotion and I have been invited to my first secret “How to Control Women” conference. And my wife thinks it’s bible study (insert maniacal laugh). Wish me luck, I have not been very successful so far in this controlling women thing!
I think this dog has been kicked enough. The conversation has become rude and quite frankly I do not understand why these non-Catholic folks are given the time of day in our forum. We know what we believe and we know what they believe, neither will be convinced by the other, so let’s drop it and move on. We believe in heaven AND hell, those who dissent from our views might believe but choose to ignore the reality of it, and choose to serve their own reality
Jon Wood-I agree with you….BUT…if we give them the “time of day” it may be that this is God’s way of leading them to the true light of day. Perhaps the Sonshine will thus lead them to the one true Church. It has been my esxperience that sometimes it can take years, even decades, of letting them speak in “our forum” - and then they get it. There is only one Truth, and many of the guests to “our forum” really are seeking it - and it turns out to be not a concept, not an idea, not a theory, but Truth with a capital T, and that’s a Person who loves them. And wants them with Him. guy mcclung
Jon Wood, I agree with your intentions and apologize to athenian and the rest of the readers for my part of the rude and condescending conversation. But I agree with guy that we still need to engage those who disagree with us and allow them to engage with us, albeit in a more charitable way in the future. They deserve to be given the “time of day”, because they aren’t the true enemy, and because it’s the only way to change hearts and minds.
Remember I was blind and stupid before God freed me from my stupidity and I was able to see things more clearly, hopefully closer to how God sees them. As Paul says in Corinthians 2 Cor vs 15 and 16 tells us that only the spiritual can judge things rightly, And only God and His grace can help us to see clearly. So we should pray to see clearly as God sees these things and we should pray that God will give those who are spiritually blind grace also. Those who disagree with us are blinded, as Paul says by the spirit of this age or to paraphrase a term that Vladimir Lenin coined “Useful idiots"not of a regime but of Satan. And if we allow sin to remain in our lives we can again become blinded ourlseves.
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