Catholic Health Association Breaks with Bishops on HHS Birth Control Compromise















About Sara Lin Wilde


  • Stev84

    According to the new rules the Obama administration clarified late in
    June, insurers will handle contraceptive coverage directly, keeping

    This how all healthcare should function. The employers shouldn’t have any say in it.

    • skinnercitycyclist

      That’s the problem in the first place, and why Obama was such a dick to take single-payer off the table when he started his domino-slide of caving. It is stupid and wasteful and full of controversy to tie insurance to employment, as well as bad for the economy (lowers the mobility of labor).

      That being said, the RCC is nothing but a criminal pedophile enabling conspiracy these days and should be shut down by the DOJ.

      • Melanie Ahrens

        I’m sure if single-payer had managed to pass, the Republican Congress would never have tried to rescind it 37 times (going on 38) like they have Obamacare.

  • ZenoFerox

    Catholic Healthcare in California managed to live for a decade under the state’s own health mandates, which are just as “draconian” as the Obama administration’s. Then suddenly it was “Oh, no! Anti-Catholic tyranny!” Hypocrites.

  • Bill

    What I don’t get is why people aren’t asking whether employers who are Christian Scientists should be exempt from providing insurance that covers medical procedures that are, uh, medical. That seems to me to be a very good analogy. What am I missing?

    • Gringa

      The same could go for muslims who want to practice sharia and/or ban women from positions of leadership.

      • Gringa

        Should point out that I’m talking about all business practices, not just healthcare.

  • Sven2547


    And that’s the crux of the matter. It’s not about Catholics being spared from compromising their values, it’s about Catholics reserving the “right” to take away other people’s choices.

    • Olive Markus

      Apparently part of the Catholic Belief System that is being infringed upon is the belief that Catholics have the God-given right to control and oppress the rest of humanity.

      • Pofarmer

        That’s the crux of it right there. The Catholic bishops want the right to force their views on everyone they contact. Never mind that at one point in time 90% of catholics have used birth control. This is the Bishops acting against the Catholic masses, as well as a political play to prove they are as powerful as the U.S. govt. They must not win.

    • crden

      This is especially true given that many Catholic organizations have been providing insurance that includes contraceptive access for years. I had contraceptive access with a simple co-pay when I worked for a Catholic non-profit.

  • the moother

    Christians: not happy if they can’t make other people sad…

  • Beth

    I can’t believe this is 2013! I never thought that I would have to fight to get birth control!

    • Pofarmer

      The bishops would like to roll it back to 1813.

  • Limeade

    I’ve never understood why ‘violation of religious conscience’ is an acceptable argument against contraception/abortion access. Worst case scenario, if a woman is denied either, it could potentially become a serious health risk. The worst thing that happens when their ~conshuns is violated~ is, what? Their feelings get hurt?

  • pagansister

    How many children are those bishops raising? Do they have to wait for the “right time of the month” to have sex with their spouses so they might not get pregnant? NFP—Russian roulette. Those MEN should just shut their mouths and allow those that wish to have birth control have it through their insurance—do they actually think that Catholic women aren’t using it already? How do they explain all those Catholic families that only have 1 or 2 children instead of 10! They need to stay out of the bedrooms and private lives of those that work for Catholic health facilities—–some of whom aren’t even Catholic. Should a Catholic employee wish to prevent pregnancy using ABC, it will be her (and God’s, of course) to deal with it. I spent 10 years teaching in a Catholic school–but fortunately I didn’t have to use their insurance—I was covered by my husband’s plan.

  • Raising_Rlyeh

    How does letting women have birth control force Catholics to violate their religious beliefs?

  • Me

    You know, I really empathize with those poor bishops. I understand because I’m in a similar boat. You see, it’s against my religious beliefs to pay taxes. My savior, the purple kangaroo of benevolence, has decreed it immoral to pay taxes– I am enraged that the government is forcing me to give up my religious beliefs. (By the way, although I deeply sympathize with those bishops, for the sake of my faith I also have to point out that they’re all wrong. Their pagan god is so shallow and silly compared to my wonderful pet purple kangaroo of benevolence, who can also teleport, and make delicious holy seafood. If you refuse to believe in the kangaroo as your deity, the dingo devil will eat you. That is all)

    • wombat

      Heathen! The Great Dingo is the only true saviour and purveyor of holy seafood! Your devil-kangaroo is misleading you and guiding you away from the light.

  • Phil

    Funny, bishops in Western European Catholic countries don’t complain when Catholic hospitals in those countries not only allow their hospital employees to utilize these services, but the hospitals themselves PROVIDE these services. Why? These services are provided as part of government run national health plans, even if paid for by private companies in places such as Germany.

    But wait, Catholic hospitals in the U.S. take government moneys for providing services to patients through Medicaid. So the question I have for the USCCB is what are you operating – a hospital or a church? It can’t be both.

    • smrnda

      Yeah, I thought you could serve either god or Mammon in their own Bible. Once you choose to serve Mammon, play by the same rules as every other money grubbing health care provider out there.

  • smrnda

    The problem with this (to me) is it treats the money pulled in by the effort of all the workers as the exclusive property of a bunch of bishops didn’t do the work who apparently get to tell these hard-working people that their work should be rewarded with shitty health insurance. It’s the ‘company town’ model. What next, will Catholic agencies start paying workers in “Jesus money” that can only be redeemed at non-sinful businesses as declared by the imprimatur of the church?

  • Mira

    To me it’s like saying “in our religion, drinking is sinful. Therefore, we will make sure that you receive only gift cards to certain grocery stores and checks made out to your various rental/home services so that you CANNOT use the money you earn to purchase any form of alcohol.” Most people would explode with anger, rage, and denied alcoholism. How is this much different? None of their goddamn business what a woman (or man) decides with her/his doctor.