Posted on 02/07/2013 1:48:56 PM PST by jazusamo
(CNSNews.com) - Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, issued a statement on Thursday signaling to the Obama Administration that the bishops will not make a separate deal to exempt Catholic institutions from an Obamacare mandate that requires health-care plans to cover sterilizations, contraceptives and abortion-inducing drugs that leaves lay Catholic business owners and individual employees still subject to the mandate.
“In obedience to our Judeo-Christian heritage, we have consistently taught our people to live their lives during the week to reflect the same beliefs that they proclaim on the Sabbath,” said Cardinal Dolan. “We cannot now abandon them to be forced to violate their morally well-informed consciences.”
The cardinal said the bishops will also continue to support the many lawsuits against the regulation--including those brought by private busineses--that are moving forward in federal courts around the country.
The Catholic Association, a group of Catholic laypersons dedicated to advancing the principles of the Catholic Church, issued a statement supporting the bishops' stand in defending the religious freedom of all Americans.
“We stand with the bishops today in rejecting the proposed ‘accommodation’ which still violates the religious freedom of Americans," said The Catholic Association.
"The bishops have recognized in their statement that when the religious freedom of one is compromised, the religious freedom of everyone is compromised, whether they be their own affiliated institutions or non-Catholic institutions or for-profit employers," said the association. "We call on this administration to provide an acceptable exemption for people of faith, and to put an end to its anti-religious liberty policies.”
Cardinal Dolan's statement was specifically responding to a new version of the Obamacare regulation that the Department of Health and Human Services proposed last week. The new proposal would slightly modify how Obamacare defines the “religious” institutions that can be exempted from the sterilization-contraceptive-abortifacient mandate. However, the proposed new version of the regulation would still force Catholic non-profits (such as hospitals, charities and colleges) to buy health care plans from carriers that, in turn, would be required to set up theoretically cost-free separate policies to provide free sterilizations, contraceptives and abortifacients to all beneficiaries. Further, the new proposal would provide no relief at all to individual Catholic lay people, whether they own a business or are employees.
Cardinal Dolan noted that the bishops will continue to judge the Obamacare regulation within the framework they laid out in a document the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops initially published last March and that all U.S. Catholic bishops unanimously approved in June.
“Third, the bishops explained that the ‘HHS mandate creates still a third class, those with no conscience protection at all:individuals who, in their daily lives, strive constantly to act in accordance with their faith and moral values,” said Cardinal Dolan, citing the bishops' unanimous declaration. “This includes employers sponsoring and subsidizing the coverage, insurers writing it, and beneficiaries paying individual premiums for it. Friday's action confirms that HHS has no intention to provide any exemption or accommodation at all to this ‘third class.’”
Cardinal Dolan’s statement included some placatory language, and the bishops seemed to be taking care to indicate they were not yet closing the door to working with the administration to find an outcome that will allow American Catholics to live both according to their faith and according to whatever final Obamacare regulations the administration ultimately decides to enforce.
“Because the stakes are so high, we will not cease from our effort to assure that healthcare for all does not mean freedom for few,” said Cardinal Dolan.
“Throughout the past year, we have been assured by the Administration that we will not have to refer, pay for, or negotiate for the mandated coverage," the Cardinal said. "We remain eager for the Administration to fulfill that pledge and to find acceptable solutions—we will affirm any genuine progress that is made, and we will redouble our efforts to overcome obstacles or setbacks. Thus, we welcome and will take seriously the Administration's invitation to submit our concerns through formal comments, and we will do so in the hope that an acceptable solution can be found that respects the consciences of all. At the same time, we will continue to stand united with brother bishops, religious institutions, and individual citizens who seek redress in the courts for as long as this is necessary.”
In an analysis published last August, the National Catholic Bioethics Center said that in keeping with Catholic moral teaching all Catholic business owners should drop health insurance coverage for all of their employees by no later than next January if the sterilization-contraception-abortifacient mandate is not lifted.
Last year, when the initial regulation was finalized, many of the nation’s Catholic bishops wrote letters to their congregations, declaring: “We cannot—we will not—comply with this unjust law.”
“The Bishops” (whoever they are) did not support Obamacare. I’m sure there were a few lefty flakes, but the majority knew it was going to be a problem because of its scope.
Would they like some kind of comprehensive health care program? Probably, but who wouldn’t? Rush was talking about the head of Johns Hopkins neurosurgery, who spoke at the prayer breakfast and urged MSAs for everyone (Medical Savings Accounts), which would not only get the goal of medical coverage, but cost less and put it in the hands of individuals.
The fact that we haven’t come up with a good answer is what allowed Obama to build up the popular support to stampede the Dems (many of whom had reservations) into voting for this.
We have to be proactive in dealing with problems, and not sit around and carp because a solution may not be perfect -— and then end up with something far worse because we have done nothing and supported nothing.
If anything, I’d say the big problem was that the bishops didn’t give it a lot of thought. Nobody believed that it was going to pass.
The Cardinal, and American Catholics, are getting what they voted for. Now they’re whining “but this isn’t what we meant!”. I’ll support the Cardinal. After all better late than never I suppose. But he owns this mess as much as Obama.
Why does the Government have to tie in Birth Control with Insurance and force us to pay for it.
If they wish to give it away just shut up and give it away, have it at the door of the drug store and let anyone help themselves paid for by taxes.Don’t claim that my insurance pays for it,
Certainly we all know that Government pays for abortions from our taxes, There is no way that any religion can beat that although it lets them say they don’t like it. To have an Insurance sold to Catholics or anyone else and say it has to pay for Birth Control is plain stupid.
Obama is like a tyrant forcing Catholics to take an oath against their conscience.
Pray that Cardinal Dolan has the courage to stay on this course.
Every time I see this picture, it reminds me of the same “evil looking” eyes as those people who flew planes into our buildings!
Two things.
1. Since 1913, the Bishops have been pushing for socialized medicine. Well, they (and we) finally got it Now they don't like it (rightly so). They're a little late with their objections.
2. Would they likewise object to an unjust law against firearms? Somehow they've never impressed me as 2nd Amendment advocates.
When I see that photo I think of someone who has a heart of flint.
“But he owns this mess as much as Obama.”
Absolutely, and if they didn’t take a stand now (since they seem to have gotten their own exemptions) it would be seen for what it really was: universal healthcare with all the Devil’s bells & whistles, but the Church wouldn’t have to pay. I’ve seen similar duplicity when it comes to religious school teachers unionizing; what’s good for the goose is apparently not good for the gander (and the gander fights it tooth and nail).
| Over 100 Bishops Have Spoken Out on Priority of Life Issues Posted on October 28, 2008, 11:59 AM | Deal W. Hudson |
8 out of 10 white Protestants voted for Romney...95% of black Protestants voted for Obama...
I agree.
Most Catholics have no bloody idea what the faith means. The Church is reaping the harvest of 50 years of poor catechist and weak seminary. It’s all mushy and meaningless. For too many Catholics, their faith is the Democratic Party. These folks will march blissfully into a totalitarian atheistic hell hole of their own making and never look at the larger moral implications. When the hierarchy finally make an attempt to turn the ship about, they’ll discover that they lost control long ago.
When I hear someone say the words “social justice” I just stop listening, because I know that is all they think there is. If you bring up the subject of evil to them, their eyes glaze over because they believe it to belong to an ancient mythology. When they speak the Creed at Mass do they listen to what they’re affirming?
Apologies for the rant...just upset Catholic.
So will Obama order a drone strike against Cardinal Dolan?
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Good luck getting “Nuns on the Bus” Catholics to sign on.
More of those than these....please don’t flame this Catholic.
That's different. Abortion and contraception is not health care.
If he did, would that make him Ordinal Dolan?
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