COMMENTARY | The Obama Administration and the proponents of protecting religious freedoms are on a collision course. Thanks to a provision in Obamacare, which will require all healthcare providers to supply free contraceptives to students and employees, the battle to determine the rights of church and state intervention will be harshly tested.
This adamant stand by both church and state is not only high-profile, it’s one that has potential to inflict quite a bit of embarrassment on the Obama Administration if they were to lose. After all, President Obama is already under intense public scrutiny over his overbloated, encompassing healthcare plan.
However, it’s a battle the president should lose since he has clearly lost sight of where government intervention should start and end. With this ensuing struggle between himself and religious organizations (particularly the Catholic Church) President Obama tests not only the mettle of religious leaders but also the tolerance of the public on government intervention.
The Archbishop of New York, Timothy Dolan, was correct when he said, “this is not a Catholic issue, it’s an American issue.” He went on to state, “Americans will ask themselves: If this, what next?”
Archbishop Dolan has been a harsh critic of President Obama.
For Catholics, including myself, the issue is not about contraception but the ideology that the church may not act upon its conscience on the matter of birth control and other practices that may compromise the faith. In other words, can the government constitutionally trump religious beliefs even when the benefit to the good of the public not so clearly defined?
Therein lies the quandary of the Obama mandate: How can the state dictate “absence of conscience” when it flies straight into the heart of what should be protected under religious freedom?
Adding fuel to this fire are the reminders of the president’s commencement speech on May 17, 2009, at Notre Dame. During the speech, the president stated the following:
Let’s honor the conscience of those who disagree with abortion, and draft a sensible conscience clause, and make sure that all of our health care policies are grounded not only in sound science, but also in clear ethics, as well as respect for the equality of women.
President Obama has quite a disingenuous manner of displaying an “honor of conscious.” He has either forgotten this promise, ignored the context, or is simply attempting to bully religious institutions into submission.
Regardless of his intention, the president is wrong. Religious institutions have a proud history of serving the needs of this country (especially the poorest of our nation) and the attempt to levy these controls over “conscience” is a disgrace.
It’s a war the president probably doesn’t want but it’s one he now must face.
It’s a war I hope he loses.
Robert Watkins is former investment professional and partner. He lives with his family in Glen Mills, Pa., and is a frequent contributor to Yahoo! News