The
Washington Times reports that the ACLU has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Council of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) because it's been denying reproductive medical care to refugee minors whom it's been contracted to care for by the federal government. As the conservative-leaning
Times puts it, the suit "could force Catholic charities to provide contraception and abortions for illegal immigrants in their care."
Sounds ideal. But not to the Times, which has dragged out a panoply of conservatives who are up in arms over the notion that an organization receiving government funding (i.e. taxpayer dollars) shouldn't be able to impose its religious views on those under its care.
Here's one objection from a gentleman who presumably represents one of the "civil right groups" that the Times says is outraged over the suit.
“Lawsuits like the one the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) just filed demanding all of the records on a faith-based provider of care and services to vulnerable children are destructive and divisive,” said Brian Walsh, president of the Civil Rights Research Center in a statement.
Just a guess, but it seems doubtful that the Civil Rights Research Center is really interested in the civil rights of anyone other than religious fundamentalists.
For more conservative outrage, plus a voice of reason, head below the fold.
Then we hear from the "legal experts."
“The larger issue — religious liberty — is the constitutional issue of our time,” said Jerad Najvar, founder of Najvar law firm in Houston, Texas. “We are coming to a tipping point in this country. Right now it’s an attempt to sanitize religious principles from religious charities and schools that receive government assistance. Next it will be denying religious freedom to even privately-funded charities that are open to the public."
Why yes, yes it is an attempt to "sanitize religious principles" from groups receiving taxpayer money. But apparently that's a slippery slope to muzzling people's privately held religious beliefs. In actuality, it's the contracting out of services to religious entities that's been a slippery slope to denial of basic human rights.
ACLU has received complaints that USCCB has been denying reproductive healthcare services, such as abortions, for female immigrants, many of whom suffer sexual assault or rape during their journey to the U.S., Ms. Amiri said.
Almost 60,000 unaccompanied minors illegally crossed the U.S./Mexico border last year. Nearly a third were young girls and up to 80 percent of those girls were victims of sexual assault. USCCB was awarded a $73 million overall contract and received $10 million in 2013 alone to care for those unaccompanied minors.
“We don’t think that religious organizations should be awarded the contract if they are unable to do the work that is required,” said Ms. Amiri.
Yes, indeed, that seems like the real problem.