You may be saying to yourself, "Well, if those are the facts, then what is the problem?!"
But those aren't the facts and it is important for all Catholics to know the facts.
In response to the Vice President's "facts," The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) issued this statement that is worth reading. In part it says:
Last night, the
following statement was made during the Vice Presidential debate regarding the
decision of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to force
virtually all employers to include sterilization and contraception, including
drugs that may cause abortion, in the health insurance coverage they provide
their employees:
"With regard to the
assault on the Catholic Church, let me make it absolutely clear. No religious
institution—Catholic or otherwise, including Catholic social services,
Georgetown hospital, Mercy hospital, any hospital—none has to either refer
contraception, none has to pay for contraception, none has to be a vehicle to
get contraception in any insurance policy they provide. That is a fact. That is
a fact."
This is not a fact. The
HHS mandate contains a narrow, four-part exemption for certain "religious
employers." That exemption was made final in February and does not extend
to "Catholic social services, Georgetown hospital, Mercy hospital, any hospital,"
or any other religious charity that offers its services to all, regardless of
the faith of those served.
HHS has proposed an
additional "accommodation" for religious organizations like these,
which HHS itself describes as "non-exempt." That proposal does not
even potentially relieve these organizations from the obligation "to pay
for contraception" and "to be a vehicle to get contraception."
They will have to serve as a vehicle, because they will still be forced to
provide their employees with health coverage, and that coverage will still have
to include sterilization, contraception, and abortifacients. They will have to
pay for these things, because the premiums that the organizations (and their
employees) are required to pay will still be applied, along with other funds,
to cover the cost of these drugs and surgeries.
For the full statement, go here: http://www.usccb.org/news/2012/12-163.cfm
For more on the "accommodation," go here: http://www.usccb.org/about/general-counsel/rulemaking/upload/comments-on-advance-notice-of-proposed-rulemaking-on-preventive-services-12-05-15.pdf
Cheryl Dickow
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