Catholic Bishops Pervert Meaning of Religious Freedom

Whatever reasons US Catholic Bishops might put forth to object to the mandatory contraceptive coverage rule recently required by the Obama administration, religious freedom is not a valid reason for their objection.

The Bishops are claiming that the rule is an intrusion on their religious beliefs, contrary to the First Amendment. But to what intrusion are they referring? No one, Catholic or otherwise, is being required to consume contraceptives under this rule. I would presume that the Bishops would not feel forced to go out and purchase birth-control pills or condoms even if their health care coverage provides it for free.

It’s a bit outrageous that Catholic leaders would demand such a loophole when they seem unable to convince even their own followers to abide by their anti-contraception doctrine, with 98% of sexually-active Catholic women in the US estimated as using birth control according to a recent study released by the Public Religion Research Institute, an independent research organization. If it is so disregarded by their own flock, how dare they expect a waiver to impose it on anyone, let alone non-Catholics?

In this case, the Obama Administration is exercising the First Amendment as it should. The rule is being applied without respect to the establishment of any religion. The government is protecting the freedoms of individual Americans to exercise their own religious beliefs regarding contraception, regardless of the wishes of any specific religious sect.

The forcing of religious doctrines on individuals is the antithesis of religious freedom. The Catholic Church’s arrogance in presuming such a ‘right’ is hypocritical in the face of its own failure to persuade its own of the moral strength of their doctrine. If it wants to remain a respected institution in US society, it should be willing to not just play by the Constitutional rules, but take a leading role in assuring the religious choices of all Americans – even their own employees – are protected.


People also view

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *