Friday, March 16, 2012

Update from the Bishops

On Wednesday, the US bishops released a brief statement on religious liberty in America, first thanking those who have stood with them as the administration begins dismantling constitutional rights, and then clarifying the issues at stake. That's pretty urgent, because just about every secular news organization has chosen to adopt the White House angle that this is about "women's health" when the real issue is the government's unwanted, unwelcome and invalid definition of religion.
The bishops also rejected outright the claim that the HHS move is about "access to contraception" which, as they note, is "ubiquitous and inexpensive, even when it is not provided by the Church's hands and with the Church's funds." It is "not about the religious freedom of Catholics only," and much less is it (as the President dared to say) that the bishops have been opposed to universal health care. (They are on the record as in favor of universal health care since 1919.)
Just today, late on a Friday afternoon in the midst of March Madness when no one would be likely to really notice, the US Department of Health and Human Services started the process for implementing the infamous mandate. Part of that process includes a 90-day window for comments on potential means for accommodating religious employers... (Comments should refer to file code CMS-9968-ANPRM)

Here are a few other resources on the HHS mandate and its implications for you
Francis Beckwith (philosopher)
Bishop Thomas Curry (First Amendment historian and, you know, Bishop)

1 comment:

Anthony Picarello said...

Thanks for blogging on this, Sister. Please keep it up!