UPDATE: There has been some misunderstanding, and I place that at my own door. I've done some editing to clarify what I meant. Let's start with: The new law requiring contraceptive coverage applies to every organization whether they receive federal funds or not. Yes, I know that.
And go on to: My point here is that as much as some religious folks feel forced into doing something against their convictions, I feel forced to help an organization that's now excused from obeying the law and that discriminates against me.
And finally: The Catholic Church does indeed receive large grants and other funding from the government for its services. While it may receive payment for services in the ordinary business model, that does not invalidate the fact that it also applies for and receives government funds solely to help with social services. The government helping to fund a Catholic soup kitchen, so to speak.
I'm not against soup kitchens. While not a Catholic myself, I've long respected Catholic workers who are actually out there in the world, taking in the needy and desperate and homeless and helping them. I've seen this side of Catholicism and have loved it.
(It might seem confusing, then, that the same Catholic Church is so willing to toss women's health and welfare under the bus, but remember, we're talking about two different Catholic Churches here -- one a church of love and helping others, and one a church of selfish, ignorant, power-hungry leaders. It's unfortunate they're under the same roof, so to speak.)
Now back to our regularly scheduled diary...
Getting really tired of the doublespeak that's going on around this issue of contraception/Catholic Church/religious freedom. Since the Catholic Church does indeed receive grants and other funding from the government, and yes, women's tax dollars make up part of that, here are a few notes:
1. Federal funding comes with strings. Not unreasonable strings, mind you. Basic, human-needs laws of the land. If you don't like the strings, don't take the funds. Raise your own funds.
2. Religious freedom is the freedom to practice religion according to one's convictions (among other freedoms). If you have done any research or thinking whatsoever, you know that many churches don't take federal funds, and this is why they don't. They understand that you can't take people's tax dollars and then use those dollars to help practice your denomination's doctrines -- against other people's convictions. It's their money and you don't get to use it to promote and insist on your own religious practices.
EDIT: Adding to this concept, I realize that the Catholic Church (leadership) could stop taking government funds tomorrow, but they would still be subject to this law. Stopping funding is only a partial solution. And it's a right solution; why should my tax dollars go to a cause that discriminates against me?
So Obama has come up with what I think is the only compromise possible. I probably would have tried to add a few conditions to the deal, such as, you practice your convictions regarding birth control as long as you don't go after other organizations that don't agree with you. If the Catholic Church (leadership) wants to live according to its religious convictions, then it had better respect the beliefs of others.
But it isn't doing that. It wants respect for its own beliefs and practices, but won't extend that respect to anyone else. Least of all to women.
3. After accepting federal funds, you absolutely cannot then turn around and use those dollars to refuse to provide insurance coverage in compliance with your own denomination's practices as opposed to complying with federal law. Those are federal dollars, and contraceptive coverage is federal law. Deal with it and comply, or quit taking the money. Segueing right into point 4,
4. Catholic institutions have already been providing coverage for years in compliance with the law. This new brouhaha is pure politics. It has nothing to do with religious conviction -- otherwise we would have seen this fight happen years ago.
5. So now Catholic leaders are trying to change federal law (now, not when they were first required to cover contraception) even as they continue to take federal funds and use them for their own denominational practices. I can only tell them to expect a lot of resistance to their attempt to take advantage of today's conservative female-hostile political landscape to impose their religious will on the bodies of free human beings, and to sacrifice their health and welfare.
7. Does no one see what the results might be to this action? Do they not see the slippery slope they're starting down? This year it's their religion; next year it's someone else's religion; and this won't all turn out in the hunky-dory theocracy they're looking for. Not all rulings will be in their favor, for their religion. But since they've opened the door now, some of the rulings will be in favor of the practices of other churches. And it will be their own fault.
8. Yes, there's an echo in here. Catholic contraception coverage has been happening already for years. It has only now come up because some groups feel this is an opportune time to expand the power of the Catholic church, to consolidate and legitimize its influence over women across the country (not just Catholic women), and to try to accrue more power to anti-woman legislation.
It will never be an opportune time for the American people to fund specifically Catholic religious principles and discrimination. Obama compromised on the insurance issue, but I don't believe for one moment that the Catholic Church leadership -- certain groups among it -- will be satisfied with that. Mark my words: Since their overall line toward women is not about love and serving God and helping people, it's about gaining power over as many human beings as possible, you'll see Catholic leadership continue to press forward on legislation and other methods of bringing women under their control and forcing women to live according to their belief system.
Contraception materially, significantly improves women's health, and contraception materially, significantly prevents abortions. Certain Catholic leaders could get behind this if they cared about women more than they cared about power.
