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U.S. Catholic contract unconstitutional: ACLU suit
al Reuters ^ | 1/13/2009 | Scott Malone

Posted on 01/12/2009 9:38:44 PM PST by markomalley

BOSTON (Reuters) - A U.S. civil liberties group sued the federal government Monday, charging it violated the Constitution by contracting a Roman Catholic entity to help victims of human trafficking.

The American Civil Liberties Union said the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops was imposing its beliefs on victims of human trafficking by not allowing federal grant money to be used for contraception or abortion.

When the bishops applied for the contracts, they said they would not work with subcontractors who provided abortion services or contraceptives, such as condoms, which conflict with Catholic teachings, according to the ACLU.

The suit filed in U.S. District Court in Boston said the Department of Health and Human Services violated the separation of church and state by giving the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops $6 million in grants from 2006 through 2008.

Many women victims of human trafficking are forced to work as prostitutes, and face a high risk of assault and rape, the ACLU said in court papers.

The Department of Health and Human Services permitted the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops "to impose its own religiously based substantive restrictions on the use of grant funds," the ACLU argued.

The suit asks the court to stop the department from allowing its grants being spent in a way that is restricted by religious beliefs.

Sister Mary Ann Walsh of the bishops' conference said the $6 million figure cited in the suit was the full amount authorized. But "far less" money had been appropriated, she said without giving a figure.

"The problem of trafficking in this country is huge and serious and the Catholic Church has the best network of services bar none," she said. "Going to the Catholic Church for social services is very logical."

(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Extended News; Government
KEYWORDS: abortion; catholic; moralabsolutes
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Geez...you think they could wait till the 20th...
1 posted on 01/12/2009 9:38:45 PM PST by markomalley
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To: wagglebee; NYer; narses

ping for your lists


2 posted on 01/12/2009 9:39:27 PM PST by markomalley (Extra ecclesiam nulla salus)
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To: markomalley

ping


3 posted on 01/12/2009 9:41:18 PM PST by PRePublic
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To: markomalley
Where is written a religious group loses its right to exercise its religious beliefs as a condition of receiving government assistance? Certainly not in the Constitution and not in various U.S Supreme Court decisions. The ACLU lawsuit is baseless and wholly without merit.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

4 posted on 01/12/2009 9:42:26 PM PST by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives In My Heart Forever)
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To: goldstategop
The ACLU lawsuit is baseless and wholly without merit.

When has that ever mattered?

5 posted on 01/12/2009 9:46:14 PM PST by markomalley (Extra ecclesiam nulla salus)
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To: markomalley; loboinok

6 posted on 01/12/2009 9:47:04 PM PST by george76 (Ward Churchill : Fake Indian, Fake Scholarship, and Fake Art)
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To: goldstategop
The ACLU lawsuit is baseless and wholly without merit.

Of course, they're petitioning for retroactive judicial action rendering their suit meritorious and correct.

While some people are right to warn that government money has unpredictable strings attached, it's a pity that civic-minded religious groups have to worry about them.

7 posted on 01/12/2009 10:26:47 PM PST by Dumb_Ox (http://kevinjjones.blogspot.com)
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To: markomalley

Just wait until Obama tries to force Catholic hospitals to perform abortions. That will start some real fireworks. It seems that the Catholic Church is drawing a line in the sand over that one.


8 posted on 01/13/2009 3:41:49 AM PST by patj
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To: markomalley
Congress shall make . . . or prohibit the free exercise thereof.

The forgotten, or rather ignored clause.

9 posted on 01/13/2009 3:57:01 AM PST by Jacquerie (Islam is a barbaric political and social system in religious drag.)
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To: markomalley

What is unConstitutional is the federal government contracting with ANYONE to do this sort of work. That’s what needs to be addressed.


10 posted on 01/13/2009 5:06:01 AM PST by all the best
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To: markomalley; informavoracious; larose; RJR_fan; Prospero; Conservative Vermont Vet; ...
+

Freep-mail me to get on or off my pro-life and Catholic List:

Add me / Remove me

Please ping me to note-worthy Pro-Life or Catholic threads, or other threads of interest.

Obama Says A Baby Is A Punishment

Obama: “If they make a mistake, I don’t want them punished with a baby.”

11 posted on 01/13/2009 5:20:33 AM PST by narses (http://www.theobamadisaster.com/)
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To: markomalley; Salvation; narses; SMEDLEYBUTLER; redhead; Notwithstanding; nickcarraway; Romulus; ...
Catholic Ping
Please freepmail me if you want on/off this list


12 posted on 01/13/2009 6:18:29 AM PST by NYer ("Run from places of sin as from a plague." - St. John Climacus)
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To: markomalley

This is good news. We in the Catholic Church should sever our relationship with the government.


13 posted on 01/13/2009 6:31:12 AM PST by veritas2002
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To: veritas2002

Yes!!!


14 posted on 01/13/2009 6:37:27 AM PST by netmilsmom (Psalm 109:8 - Let his days be few; and let another take his office)
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To: markomalley
best not to take Fed money these days.

Pity - it's civilization's loss.

15 posted on 01/13/2009 7:03:45 AM PST by the invisib1e hand (revolution is in the air.)
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To: markomalley; 185JHP; 230FMJ; 50mm; 69ConvertibleFirebird; Aleighanne; Alexander Rubin; ...
Moral Absolutes Ping!

Freepmail wagglebee to subscribe or unsubscribe from the moral absolutes ping list.

FreeRepublic moral absolutes keyword search
[ Add keyword moral absolutes to flag FR articles to this ping list ]


16 posted on 01/13/2009 8:54:34 AM PST by wagglebee ("A political party cannot be all things to all people." -- Ronald Reagan, 3/1/75)
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To: veritas2002

No, this is bad news. It’s bad news because it puts victims of human trafficking at risk of not getting help, or getting helped by someone who would push abortion on them.


17 posted on 01/13/2009 9:37:42 AM PST by mbraynard (You are the Republican Party. See you at the precinct meeting.)
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To: veritas2002
We in the Catholic Church should sever our relationship with the government.

I think, we should be quick to sever them, but I would not advocate being proactive about it. If the government wants to fund the Church for some activity the Church would do anyway, the money should not be turned down, but no conditions should be attached to the funding. It is no different than placing money in the collection basket.

18 posted on 01/13/2009 10:07:48 AM PST by annalex (http://www.catecheticsonline.com/CatenaAurea.php)
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To: markomalley
"The problem of trafficking in this country is huge and serious..."

Both Hugh and Series?

19 posted on 01/13/2009 10:16:57 AM PST by GOP_Party_Animal
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To: Jacquerie
Congress shall make . . . or prohibit the free exercise thereof.

If the ACLU receives any federal money, then I think a good case could be made against them for prohibiting the free exercise of religion.

20 posted on 01/13/2009 11:03:00 AM PST by Ignatz (Speak to Me/Breathe)
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