1. The war of words is lost again, this time the Catholics winning. In an @AP news item the opening sentence reads:

    “Sharpening an election-year confrontation over religious freedom and government health insurance rules…”

    When the AP refers to the “other side’s” position in exactly the way they want it framed, even though it is patently wrong, it demonstrates that the Catholic church has successfully repeated the phrase “religious freedom” often enough to make it look as if freedom is being denied them rather than the other way around. Or, more correctly put, they are fighting to retain their self-assigned “right” to discriminate against those who don’t follow their crazy cult beliefs.

  2. What has SCOTUS previously decided that may inform the debate over contraception?

    In a post from today, lawyer Jonathan Turley discusses past cases that shed light on how the court may view a case brought by religious folk saying that they cannot be forced to accommodate use of contraceptives. 

    In discussing Employment Division v. Smith (1990) Scalia, writing for the 6-3 majority says “the incidental effect of a generally applicable and otherwise valid provision, the First Amendment has not been offended.”

    See the rest of his post for the full discussion…http://jonathanturley.org/2012/02/12/employment-division-v-smith/#more-45239

    Peace

  3. Catholics are dicks about wrapped up dicks

    The Catholic church unsurprisingly continues to fight proposed rules by Health and Human Services to make free contraceptive services available to all persons as part of their insurance plans.

    It’s not enough for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (but too much for humanistic persons) that only churches would enjoy an exemption. Other organizations such as hospitals, schools and clinics would have to allow such services as part of the program. 

    Get this quote from Sister Mary Ann Walsh, a spokeswoman for the bishops:

    You are forcing a Catholic organization to pay for something that goes directly against their belief system. Their Christian faith is what drives such groups to serve needy people regardless of religion.

    If I get what she’s saying, if it were not for religion, they wouldn’t give a damn about the needy. But since they’re religious, they get to dictate the terms of the lives of the persons with whom they interact, whether that be an employee or a recipient of services.

    That’s Klassy, with a capital “K.”

  4. Conscience? Catholics?

    Belmont Abbey College says their free speech rights are being trampled by HHS rules that contraceptive care must be provided under proposed new rules. They complain “the legislation does not treat religious groups neutrally and ‘runs roughshod’ over the college’s beliefs, forcing it to either violate them or pay significant penalties.”

    Actually, it does treat them neutrally - they have to follow the same guidelines that everyone does. The law and the rulings just don’t allow them to discriminate against women and their individual right to reproductive freedom.

    It’s this special status that religions claim, and have gotten away with for so long, that is so wrong. They must be forced to prove the basis for their claims in order to be heard. 

    Once they’ve proved god, we’ll listen. Until then, they need to sit down, STFU and follow the same humanistic guidelines that everyone else does.

  5. A priest’s view of Penn State

    Original Post Date 11/16/2011

    This priest has a pretty clear-eyed view of the comparison between church and Penn State.

  6. Catholics & Republicans Livid over HHS Decision to End Contract Assisting Victims of Human Trafficking

    Original Post Date 11/16/2011

    The Department of Health and Human Services has awarded contracts for providing assistance to victims of human trafficking to three new groups, leaving the previous vendor, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, behind. Now, after complaints by the church and the USCCB more than 30 Republican lawmakers have charged that the HHS decision was religion-based discrimination.

    Naturally, Rep. Dale Issa is threatening to subpoena HHS records.

    The crux of the HHS decision is that the USCCB had refused to refer trafficking victims for contraception or abortion, two very legal health options for women. We see here another reason why faith-based initiatives are bad.

    I can’t tell if the Catholics are mad on principle or if they’re mad about the money. Were they making a profit on the project?

    Whatever is going on in their internal discussions, they are making it clear that they are not just offended, they’re livid.

    The USCCB, like any religious entity in a similar bind, fails to see the irony in its position. While it sees no problem imposing its beliefs not just on those who are part of the faith, they are willing to insist on imposing them on humans who have suffered the worst side of mankind.

    How could you possibly think it was a good thing to tell someone rescued from slavery that they have to maintain a pregnancy they didn’t want or keep them from methods of preventing unwanted pregnancy?

    It’s such a simple conclusion from that position to say that Catholicism is NOT humanism.

    It’s appalling that in this day and time the Catholic church still works to subjugate women to the effect of a sperm finding an egg. They can’t bear to stand the freedom of a woman to choose if and when she’s going to get pregnant and if, by accident, rape or other cause winds up pregnant against her will, demands she take second chair to an embryo.

    This of course follows on the heels of the administration’s decision to no longer defend the Defense Of Marriage Act (DOMA), leaving the Catholic community in a tizzy over the right of free association by persons who love each other to commit to a long term relationship to each other, but just happen to be the same gender. I dare suggest that the humanistic love emanating from a religion-free gay-parented household will produce a far better result for a child raised in that atmosphere than for a child raised in a dogmatic Catholic atmosphere.

    “The principle of church teaching is that all sexual encounters be open to life.” This by a member of the Bishops Conference. “It’s not a minor matter; this is intrinsic to our Catholic beliefs.” What he’s telling you here is that they think they have the god-given right to tell you how to live your life. That’s fascism.

    Obstetric care and reproductive choice is not a sin, it’s a human right.