Novus ordo bishop stands up to Obama

[Mornac]

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Catholics asked to fight birth control insurance rule
September 20, 2011, 10:00 AM

By Bruce Nolan

Thousands of Catholics who attended church Sunday around metropolitan New Orleans were asked to object in writing to a new federal rule that will require Catholic ministries to offer birth control coverage to their employees in opposition to the church’s teaching on that practice.
 
In particular, Catholic bishops say a “conscience clause” that ought to exempt church organizations is too narrow and should be rewritten.
 
Archbishop Gregory Aymond asked pastors in about 108 parishes to distribute a letter from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops objecting to the insurance mandate, and showing Catholics how to file a written objection at the bishops’ website.
 
It was not clear Monday whether every parish did so. Aymond was not available for comment.
 
Under a new rule by the Department of Health and Human Services implementing health care reform, employers will have to offer their workers insurance packages that include a range of preventive health services without co-pays.
 
Developed by the Institute of Medicine, an arm of the National Academy of Sciences, the list includes services like mammograms, colonoscopies and childhood immunizations.
 
But more controversially in some quarters, the rule also requires that insurance plans offer sterilization services and birth control, including “day after” emergency contraceptive methods already approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
 
Planned Parenthood and other supporters regard the inclusion of free contraception as a significant victory for women under health care reform.
 
“We want all women to have access to all the health care they need,” said Julie Mickelberry, a spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood in Louisiana.
 
“Birth control is normative. Its use is normative even among religious women,” she said.
 
But the Catholic church regards contraception as illicit because it artificially splits sex from the possibility of procreation.
 
And Catholics and evangelicals who believe pregnancy begins at conception regard “day-after” birth control as theoretically indistinguishable from abortion.
 
Part of the bishops’ objection comes from a consumer’s point of view: that buyers of insurance should not have to pay premiums that include services to which they morally object.
 
However, polls consistently show that 80 percent or more of the Catholic rank and file practice artificial birth control, unpersuaded by church teaching. Evangelicals, who do not have the same objection, also widely use birth control, although many object to “day-after” emergency contraception as early abortion.
 
A second Catholic objection is that the church itself, acting as an employer through ministries like Catholic Charities and Catholic hospitals, should not have to offer employees coverage for medical practices the employer find morally objectionable.
 
The insurance requirement, which goes into effect Jan. 1, 2013, at the latest, contains a conscience clause exempting some religious institutions.
 
But Catholic bishops, and other groups like the evangelical Family Research Council, say the exemption is unworkably narrow.
 
The rule exempts organizations whose purpose is to inculcate religious doctrine and organizations that hire and serve mostly those of their own faith.
 
But Catholic and evangelical opponents said that excludes faith-based ministries: hospitals, battered women’s shelters and anti-poverty programs that hire staff without regard to religion and dispense services without regard to faith.
 
The Catholic write-in campaign was directed particularly at enlarging that conscience clause, to remove Catholic institutions from the mandate.

http://www.nola.com/religion/index.ssf/2011/09/catholics_asked_to_fight_birth.html

[Mornac]

Cardinal George warns Obama against moving U.S. towards despotism	Small | Large

[ivanm]

"Thousands of Catholics who attended church Sunday around metropolitan New Orleans were asked to object in writing to a new federal rule that will require Catholic ministries to offer birth control coverage to their employees in opposition to the church’s teaching on that practice."
 
Are the ministries self insured?

[SufferedMoreThanJesus]

Just enact a "Morals Clause" in their employment agreement.

If they breach it by having to use birth control, fire them.

End of story.

[Mornac]

Are the ministries self insured?

--They buy insurance from major insurers like companies do. They can pick and choose the extent of the coverage they want. Obviously Catholic organizations don’t buy coverage for things like contraception and abortion. Obama’s anti-Catholic policy will force them to do those things.

[Mornac]

Just enact a "Morals Clause" in their employment agreement.

If they breach it by having to use birth control, fire them.

End of story.

--I don’t think employers are allowed to impose their morals on their employees.

[SufferedMoreThanJesus]

I'm pretty sure an employer can, and does, employ contracts of any kind as long as they are legal and enforceable.

The alternative, of course, is to not retain that employee.  A church doesn't fall within the purview of the Federal Government's guide lines as they aren't Federal employees...so I'm also pretty sure the Government cannot define the employment agreements for the employer.

But you may be right.  I know the entertainment industry has them and in some States, they have "morality clauses" (behavior clauses) they deal with.

[SufferedMoreThanJesus]

A morals clause is a provision within a instruments of the contract which curtail, or restrain, or proscribe certain behavior of individuals or party(s) to the contract. A moral clause within contracts used as a means of holding the individual or Party(s) to a certain behavioral standard so as not to bring disrepute, contempt or scandal to other individual or party to the contract and their interests. It attempts to preserve a public and private image of such a party to the contract. In essence one party to the contract is purchasing the other party's good name or reputation. These clauses are most seen in contracts between actors and actresses and their studios, athletes and their organization or proprietors of a product that the athlete(s) may endorse or as a part of a marital settlement. Commonly proscribed activity include the use or abuse of alcohol, the use of illegal drugs or narcotics or illegal or illicit sexual activity.[1]

[Mornac]

The new Obama law forces the employer to purchase insurance that provides contraception to its members at no cost to them. An employer can make a perspective employee sign anything but he has no right to know anything about what sort of medical provisions that employer is availing themselves of. That is a privacy issue. It's just like how you have to stand five paces behind other customers at the pharmacy these days.

[Mornac]

Obama vs. Dolan	Small | Large

[ivanm]

It is like I said before, the combined might of some 69 million American Catholics needs to be put into play and show that jerk that he has limits.
Small employers, as far as I can tell, are not subject to the requirement to provide heathcare insurance to their employees.  In the absence of large employers, which is typical in so much of the Plains states, you are lucky to just have a job, let alone healthcare insurance.

I see the need for folks to have insurance, but we also need an equitable way to pay for it.  It is either that or continued high unemployment while the jobs go offshore.  Small businsses can't move offshore, so they just close their doors and everyone loses.

When will you fucking communists ever learn about human nature and what business is all about?  It isn't a social experiment that is for damned sure.
I hope every one of you parasites end up in a bread line someday  and then you might realize just how good you had it.

[johnhp]

Do you know the percentage of American Catholics who use birth control?

[ivanm]

Do you know the percentage of American Catholics who use birth control?

So what, when the government starts dictating what a religious organzation can do and cannot do then it has crossed the line. I think the Catholic Church org.
should be given an  exception on this issue.  Why not, there seems to be plenty of other exceptions being granted?

If a Catholic layperson wants to use contraceptives or wants to have an abortion then  that is between her and the Church and the government doesn't need to be in the middle of it screwing things up like it does other issues. 

[johnhp]

So what, when the government starts dictating what a religious organzation can do and cannot do then it has crossed the line. I think the Catholic Church org.
should be given an  exception on this issue.  Why not, there seems to be plenty of other exceptions being granted?

If a Catholic layperson wants to use contraceptives or wants to have an abortion then  that is between her and the Church and the government doesn't need to be in the middle of it screwing things up like it does other issues. 

You said the combined might of 69 million Americans need to be used to pressure a change in this issue.  My question directly went to this.  The majority of Catholics use birth control.  The vast majority.  What you meant to say is the combined might of less than 2 million Catholics.

[ivanm]

You said the combined might of 69 million Americans need to be used to pressure a change in this issue.  My question directly went to this.  The majority of Catholics use birth control.  The vast majority.  What you meant to say is the combined might of less than 2 million Catholics.

What they say and what they do can be two different things. Catholics are so brain washed that they will support the official line of the Church even though they might not personally approve of it or support it.  They are just pawns of the Pope.  Darn few of those I associate with would dare speak out against the Church policy.

Guess what boy genius, a Catholic male can also vote his preference on the issue.  How many of them use the pill?