Catholic Suit Against Obama Birth Control Rules: Both Sides Are Wrong
Dozens of Catholic institutions have hauled off and sued the Obama administration, claiming religious freedom is on the line. But as I see it, both sides are in the wrong.
More than 40 Catholic schools, hospitals, charities and dioceses, including the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. are going to court, ostensibly to fight a requirement that would force them to violate church teaching by including free contraceptive coverage for employees in their health plans by as soon as Aug. 1.
The litigants do have one point: It’s true that the Department of Health and Human Services has so narrowly defined its exemption for religious institutions that it really only covers churches themselves, and not church-run hospitals and schools.
That’s a mistake. And that the HHS hasn’t addressed the problem is seen by those who are suing as proof that they aren’t being heard, or dealt with in good faith, so to speak.
Which brings us to the “pot, meet kettle” portion of the program.