Administration Rules Against Catholic Church on Contraception
The Washington Post is reporting that the Administration “will allow religious organizations a one-year delay” before complying with a new Obamacare mandate to offer contraceptive coverage – “but the rule itself and the employers covered by it remain unchanged.” This rule requires organizations like religious schools and Catholic hospitals to offer contraceptive coverage to employees covered by their health plans – even if doing so violates the tenets of their faith.
The rule, and the Administration’s broader dealings with the Catholic church, have generated much controversy. Some have written that “a part of [the Obama] Administration is at war with Catholic leaders and Catholic belief.” Moreover, an Administration that claimed to end the “war on science” has on multiple occasions related to contraceptive issues manipulated the process, and/or overridden the recommendations of non-partisan experts, to achieve political victories for its liberal allies.
The bottom line: This decision looks suspiciously like yet another political stunt designed to delay the controversy by another year, until after the President’s re-election campaign. Make no mistake however – this ruling forces religious organizations to violate the fundamental tenets of their faith, or stop offering health insurance coverage to their employees. Time will tell whether those institutions choose the former or the latter course – but neither option should be necessary, if the Administration had not taken such an unbending approach to appease its liberal base.