The Catholic Church vs. Obama on the Peoria.com Forums

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — Catholic leaders upped the ante Monday, threatening to challenge the Obama administration over a provision of the new health care law that would require all employers, including religious institutions, to pay for birth control.

As CBS 2’s Marcia Kramer reports, it could affect the presidential elections.

Catholic leaders are furious and determined to harness the voting power of the nation’s 70 million Catholic voters to stop a provision of President Barack Obama’s new heath car reform bill that will force Catholic schools, hospitals and charities to buy birth control pills, abortion-producing drugs and sterilization coverage for their employees.

“Never before, unprecedented in American history, for the federal government to line up against the Roman Catholic Church,” said Catholic League head Bill Donohue.

Already Archbishop Timothy Dolan has spoken out against the law and priests around the country have mobilized, reading letters from the pulpit. Donohue said Catholic officials will stop at nothing to put a stop to it.

“This is going to be fought out with lawsuits, with court decisions, and, dare I say it, maybe even in the streets,” Donohue said.

full article here: newyork.cbslocal.com/2012/02/06/catholic-league-poised-to-go-to-war-with-obama-over-mandatory-birth-control-payments/

There is an exemption for churches but not Catholic hospitals or universities. 28 states have the same requirements as Obama care and 8 states do not have an exemption for churches. Why all of the outrage now?

Now here is a fight that i hope both sides lose.

Catholics are the largest block of swing votersw there is. I am not saying it will happen, but if the Catholics decided to close hospitals and universities rather than comply with this, this country could not abosrb all that would have to be absorbed.

In addition, Obama has increased the odds that Santorum will be on the ticket with Romney. Santorum is Catholic and from PA. PA is a swing state. PA is also one of the most Catholic states. In 2008, Obama won PA. If Obama loses PA, he could lose the election.

I am as liberal as they come but there is a line where liberalism gets crossed and it becomes flakiness. Thats what this is.

Suppose, the administration doesnt back down and this goes all the way to the US Supreme Court. There are 5 Catholic justices, out of nine, on the US Supreme Court. Four of them are very conservative and Justice Arthur Kennedy, a Catholic, is a moderate swing vote. One doesnt need a Ph D. in matrh to figure out how this could possisbly turn out.

I am not defending the Church on their archaic views. But when someone starts working at a Catholic hospital or university, you know what the views arfe before you start work. If you dont like them, just as in any other co, go work elsewhere.

I am not defending the church on its policies. However, religious freedom is guaranteed in the first amendment. If freedoms start to be taken away, what other freedoms will follow?

The Obama administration has made a horrific mistake and miscalculation and the requirement should be dropped PRONTO before things really do get out of hand. As a result of this total stupidity, other rights coulde come under assault.This is a n immediate call to action to preserve all rights granted in the constitution.

98% of Catholics use birth control

There is exists a well known huge disconnect between what the Catholic leadership wants and what the average Catholic practices. I don't think Obama is in any danger. If anything the church hierarchy runs a big risk of alienating more practicing Catholics.

There was some polling recently suggesting that your average Catholic supported the Obama position of '100% covered birth control' somewhere in the 70s. The pill can be pretty pricey if you have to buy it retail. I can't find the link at the moment, as it is drowned in all the news.

Preach what is practiced

No one should stand between a patient and his or her Doctor. Not a Government, Republican, Democrat or a Church.

Absofreakinglotely correct!!!!

Good one! Hospitals, even religious ones answer to only one god. The god of profits.

And let's also consider that these hospitals, charities, and schools employ non-Catholics as well as Catholics. These non-Catholic employees should not be at a disadvantage, medically speaking, because of the beliefs of their employers.

And there's the rub; Catholic hospitals/businesses are not the same as a proper church. If so, they wouldn't be paying taxes either. Oh, and every business in the country would suddenly become "religious".

To be clear, they'd only be "forced" to provide those services if their employees requested them, and even then it'd be through the employee's doctor, not through the employer. I don't know how everyone else's insurance works, but my employer doesn't have a bunch of birth control drugs stock-piled in the HR office. The Church would not be directly buying these drugs and services; they'd simply have to have an insurance plan that covers these drugs and services. In fact, it may be illegal for them to even find out if their employees are using the birth control provisions of their insurance due to privacy laws.

As Mahkno said, I really don't see the threat of Catholics voting for a Republican as a valid threat, as most of the Catholics who are going to vote based on their faith have already hitched their wagon to the GOP's anti-abortion crusade.

Illinois already requires employers insurance plans to cover birth control prescriptions just as they would any other prescription.

Many Catholics use birth control anyway as they see the church's methods antiquated and ineffective.

I'm not sure what the big fuss is? oh wait, its an election year...

The Catholic Church has a good point when they talk about the government forcing them to do something they don't believe in. But, I think once an institution accepts public funds, they need to follow the governments wishes.

I completely supported Catholic Charities on not allowing adoptions to gay couples because it was against their teachings, but once they receive money from the state or federal government they have to allow adoptions to gay couples. If they want to keep it private and not accept government money then they call chose to restrict who they allow adoptions to. For the record I'm not Catholic nor do I agree with some of their teachings.

I think the same can go for hospitals and universities. If the Catholic Universities and hospitals are private and don't accept any government money they don't have to provide birth control for their employees but once they accept a grant, medicare, medicaid, etc. they have to follow the Federal Governments rules.

+1

Obama has increased the odds of Santorum being on the ticket? From what...0% to .01%. What a stupid comment.

Agreed with Luke. If it isn't a Romney/Rubio ticket I'll eat my hat.

I haven't read this entire thread, but from the short bits I do read, I feel confident that 90% of the people who debate this issue have no idea what the real issue is.