Daily Political/Religious Discussion

saraboston

So, we haven't discussed religion or politics in almost 24 hours, so I thought I'd change that.

I've heard this on NPR a few days in a row now:

The federal government is mandating that employers provide health insurance that covers contraceptives for women. The Catholic church is fighting the legislation stating that it violates their moral conscience. Certain types of organizations (e.g the churches themselves) are exempt; however, non-profits run by the church (e.g. hospitals) are not exempt. Rather than include insurance coverage for contraceptives, the Arch Bishop of Boston is threatening to stop subsidizing health insurance for employees altogether. 

Thoughts? HeatherR?

Heather R

saraboston:

So, we haven't discussed religion or politics in almost 24 hours, so I thought I'd change that.

I've heard this on NPR a few days in a row now:

The federal government is mandating that employers provide health insurance that covers contraceptives for women. The Catholic church is fighting the legislation stating that it violates their moral conscience. Certain types of organizations (e.g the churches themselves) are exempt; however, non-profits run by the church (e.g. hospitals) are not exempt. Rather than include insurance coverage for contraceptives, the Arch Bishop of Boston is threatening to stop subsidizing health insurance for employees altogether. 

Thoughts? HeatherR?

you're contracepting yourselves to death!!!!!!!!!!!

It is going to exempt places that employ mostly Catholics and mandate it for those who do not employ mostly Catholics.  Good and fine.  They can discriminate away in their hiring then, and I wish them joy of it.

BUT If they're going to be a business, they should lose tax-exempt status. 

 

saraboston

Heather R:

saraboston:

So, we haven't discussed religion or politics in almost 24 hours, so I thought I'd change that.

I've heard this on NPR a few days in a row now:

The federal government is mandating that employers provide health insurance that covers contraceptives for women. The Catholic church is fighting the legislation stating that it violates their moral conscience. Certain types of organizations (e.g the churches themselves) are exempt; however, non-profits run by the church (e.g. hospitals) are not exempt. Rather than include insurance coverage for contraceptives, the Arch Bishop of Boston is threatening to stop subsidizing health insurance for employees altogether. 

Thoughts? HeatherR?

you're contracepting yourselves to death!!!!!!!!!!!

It is going to exempt places that employ mostly Catholics and mandate it for those who do not employ mostly Catholics.  Good and fine.  They can discriminate away in their hiring then, and I wish them joy of it.

BUT If they're going to be a business, they should lose tax-exempt status. 

 

As someone who works in a hospital (though thankfully NOT a Catholic-run hospital), I think it's CRAZY. Denying health insurance to thousands of people simply because you don't want to allow contraception for people who don't even share in your beliefs is a shiit move. I should mention that in Mass, you're legally required to have health insurance (thanks to Mitt), so every single person who works in one of these hospitals would have to go out and buy individual policies, which are astronomically expensive.

8yearslater

Not for nuthin', but if you don't agree with The Church, then you're not a Roman Catholic.  If you're down with Jesus and all that, why not check out another Christian denomination that has a world view that better fits your particular ethics?  IMO, if more "Catholics" grew a set and withdrew from Rome to other Christian sects, the Pope would get the wake-up call he needs (less parishoners = less $$ and the Catholic Church is one of the wealthiest organizations in the world).  Same God, different option package, I used to say. 

And FWIW, most of the stuff that "Catholics" reject doesn't even come from Jesus himself.  It comes from the Apostle Paul, who was something of a wingnut who took it upon himself to interpret Jesus's teachings and spread his version of Jesus's word.  Just saying-- you can be Christian and faithful to what the son of God actually said without having to support the Church and all its misogynistic issues (and other things).

Anyway, this whole issue gets back to the whole permissable vs. mandated thing. I can see why an organization would not want to pay for something that violates its rules.  They're being forced to do something they consider unethical.  But it's a health matter.  But so is abortion in many instances, and religious hospitals don't have to offer that service.

So if the gov't forces the religious groups to participate in this program, it technically is over-stepping the church-state separation (ha ha ha... like that exists.. anyway...). Exempting religious institutions for paying for this type of health care is a slippery slope.  Suppose some more conservative religious organization employs people and this group doesn't think women should have their privates exposed to anyone but their own religious healers and breast cancer treatment should only consist of squirrel droppings mixed with honey and frankencense?  At what point do you draw the line in saying which religious rule makes it into the codified exemptions?

I think the only thing to do is to have the Church withdraw completely from these programs.  Yeah, alot of people would be forced to buy their own health insurance, but that's what happens when you want to work for The Church and live in 21st Century USA.  There can't be a middle ground because that middle ground is just going to expand until we can't do anything because it violates some religious group's feelings on something. 

TBLilyRose

What about birth control as medically necessary? Did they address that? I started BC at 18 because my periods were out of control painful - I'd bend over to tie my shoes and wouldn't be able to get back up and I'd bleed through pads hourly. 

8yearslater

That's God's plan for you, TBlilyRose!  Jesus healed a woman with a hemmorhage problem, so maybe you're supposed to pray away the anemia.  If you don't believe in pixies.. I mean... miracles hard enough, then you deserve it.