Contraception, the Federal Mandate, and the Church

by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Liberty -vs- Tyranny


In case anybody is paying attention, I mean really paying attention, the liberals are winning the high ground over the whole contraceptive issue with respect to ObamaCare. I mean the majority of Americans, including Catholics use some form of contraceptives, whether it be the use of a condom or the pill. Those are the facts. Feel free to check them out for yourselves.


Obama's mandate, which requires health insures to provide coverage for contraceptives with no co-pay or deductible is really a Godsend (no pun intended) for those who use contraceptives. I mean what's better than free birth control for all? Given this is the 21'st century, and a whole bunch of the religious dogma dating to antiquity is no longer observed and held to be the gospel by the majority of Americans (Catholic or otherwise) this is bound to gain votes for Obama. Especially among women and particularly the younger set. Mark my words.

These very personal decisions are best left to the conscience of the individual.

Having said this there are two reasons that actually support gutting this mandate. First and foremost is the federal government lacks the ethical authority to mandate insurers to provide coverage (many already do because it makes good business sense) or, mandate institutions and businesses to offer the coverage to employees. Secondly there is the issue of separation of Church and State. The federal government should not be requiring religious institutions to supply something that runs against their professed beliefs.

This discussion is a hot button emotional issue. I have started to write on this each of the last four days but found myself struggling to find a way to say what I mean. I think I just did, and the preceding summarizes it quite concisely.

In my travels through the blogosphere I found what I think is one of the best articles to date on this subject. Written by Frank Hill of Telemachus he covers it with a reasoned and balanced perspective.

Why has the contraception edict by the Obama White House caused so much trouble?

It drives Catholics and other church-goers bonkers.

For good reason. It goes against the very essence of who we are as Americans as you will soon see.

The Catholics were understandably upset over the forced mandate of contraceptives being included on any health care plan offered by the Catholic Church to any of its millions of people across the nation or group plans offered through any of its entities. That goes against their religious belief that contraceptives are not acceptable to use as for family-planning purposes.

But Protestant religious groups across the nation were irate as well, even though their denominations accept the use of contraceptives for family-planning.

What gives? What was at the heart of this enervated opposition to President Obama's health care policy?

We think this edict bore right through the mantle of the often-shallow American political game and went right through to the magma of what it means to be an American. It is worth examining just so everyone understands where it came from.

What people with religious faith vehemently disagree with is the heavy-handed intrusion of the power of the federal government into matters of their faith. If there is anything that is a core American principle, it is the protection of everyone's right to believe, or not believe for that matter, in any particular religion.

It is a clearly enunciated right in the US Constitution. The Constitution speaks of religion in two phrases: The first is the freedom of religion clause in the First Amendment: 'Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;'.

The second is Article VI: '...but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.' Go tell that to Mitt Romney.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is about it for the Constitutional language on religion and religious freedom.

There are 3 other 'foundational' documents, however, that you need to be aware of and understand whenever it comes to religious freedom issues in America, even though they are not in the US Constitution. {Continue Reading}

Indeed an emotionally driven issue by and from all sides. Stepping back the last four days has helped put things in a proper and unemotional frame of reference.

It's increasingly obvious however the nation has become so indoctrinated and accepting of big government that we are reaching the point of no return.

Via: Memeorandum

Comments

  1. .

    We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. - Constitution Of USA.

    "... there exists no right for the federal government to mandate issues of health. Reproductive or otherwise."

    The Constitution does NOT prohibit the federal government from acting to promote the general welfare. 'We the people' decided health care was an important societal function of the general welfare and established the Affordable Care Act. Our government has the authority to make rules and regulations to implement a system that meets the mandates of the law.

    "What gives? What was at the heart of this enervated opposition to President Obama's health care policy?"

    Can you say, "Desperate failed political operatives (Murdoch Media/Fox) trying to create faux outrage for political expediency?" The secular government has always established the rules for USA. (As you brought up Mr Romney... One can then ask how many wives could a man have before statehood for Utah: and after statehood for Utah?) Oops; the heavy-handed intrusion of the power of the federal government into matters of their faith (chuckle chuckle chuckle.)

    Really? Do you honestly think the RepublicanT Party cares? Do you really think this has any significance?

    Do you ever get tired of being played for chumps by Fox?


    Ema Nymton
    ~@:o?
    .

    ReplyDelete
  2. Emma, Emma, Emma, do you really think you have a lock on understanding. Do you really believe all the stuff from the democratic party is gospel? Do you actually believe either party, or the two faces of the media are telling the comple truth?

    Some put their faith in the state, which is the people. A collective of many different views, ideologies, and culture backgrounds. Naturally a lot of posturing, politics, and even evasion of the truth occurs.

    So, in keeping the federal government as small as practicable actually insures the maximum amount of individual liberties. And Emma, that is what we all should be able to agree on.


    Oh, another thing,.. Do YOU ever get tired of being played as chumps by MSNBC?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Theology is the study of how many angels can dance on the head of molested boys. As for contraceptives, since they reduce abortions it should be welcome but of course they aren't because for the Church and many christian sects controlling sex who gets it when you get it and with whom is very very important, because religions are made up of those who are Totalitarian and hate freedom.

    This is a positive liberty versus negative liberty issue and goes to the hear to equal treatment under the law. They same way an Jewish Hospital can not dock the pay of employees who may go out and use those monies to buy pork or eat a beef sandwich with a glass of milk Catholic affiliated organizations can not reduce the benefits of workers who don't conform to their silly little dogmas...

    ReplyDelete
  4. GeG - I agree this should be a issue of personal conviction and choice, I said precisely that.

    I also said the government has no business in mandating what the "F" a institution of religion or business for that matter determines they should provide with respect to contraceptive coverage.

    So who precisely is the totalitarian (aka: statist) in this matter?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Rational Nation USA - If you go down the path of Government has no business mandating what a religion or business does you are setting up the classical struggle of Chruch and State, with the church telling government officials their clergy can not be tried in secular courts...

    ReplyDelete
  6. Only if you fail to understand the meaning and intent of words GeG.

    ReplyDelete

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