'Uncle Knows Best?' HHS Mandate, Religious Freedom, and Presidential Approval

First the good news: If America's ruler is successful, Americans may not have to bother about deciding what they believe about life, death, God, or much of anything else. Experts working for the national government will take care of all that.

Now the bad news: Not all Americans think this is a wonderful idea.

I'm one of them.

I'm also over-stating implications of the HHS mandate that's got every Catholic bishop in America saying "no."

But not by much.

Never mind what I say, though. Here's what Catholic bishops in America say:

• "What the Catholic Church in America Actually Says: Resource Link List, March 16, 2012"
  (March 16, 2012)

Be aware, though: those folks aren't on the government payroll, and aren't acting with presidential approval.

'The Establishment:' That was Then, This is Now

I'm not on the same page as "the establishment." That was true when "the establishment" was a bunch of men with no beards and short hair, wearing white shirts, and trying desperately to look and act sufficiently WASPish.

"The establishment" doesn't look like that now: and I'm still not in cahoots with my 'betters.' I've posted about America's dominant culture, then and now, before:

• "What's With "the Establishment" in this Blog?"
  (September 15, 2011)

News, but Not the Establishment Kind

If you get all your news from old-school journalists, you might get the impression that reasonable folks were all for the HHS mandate. And that anyone who doesn't agree with the leader is a religious lunatic. Or just plain nuts. I've been over that sort of thing before:

• "Cultural Chaos, Divisiveness, and CNN"
  (April 1, 2010)

Here's news that didn't necessarily get approved by The New York Times' editors:

"The CatholicVote.org Legal Fund today filed a first-of-a-kind federal lawsuit against the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on behalf of a Missouri business owner who contends the HHS mandate violates his constitutionally-protected religious beliefs...."
(CatholicVote.org (March 16, 2012))

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"...'Religious liberty is not limited to institutions,' said attorney Francis J. Manion, who says his client believes the administration is forcing him to violate his conscience under the new federal rule...."
(CNA/EWTN (March 15, 2012))

---

"...the Obama administration has been widely criticized over the question of religious freedom. 'The real issue in political life,' ... 'is not contraception: it's the First Amendment. That's the real issue because the Constitution says that there's not going to be a national religion. […] But it also says, "Congress shall make no law restricting the freedom of religion." '..."
(ZENIT (March 14, 2012))

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"...'Indeed, this is not about the Church wanting to force anybody to do anything,' said the administrative committee of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in a March 14 statement.

"Instead, they explained, it is 'about the federal government forcing the Church - consisting of its faithful and all but a few of its institutions - to act against Church teachings.'..."
(CNA/EWTN News (March 14, 2012))

---

"...Hawkins told CNA on March 13 that beyond just contraception or abortion, the mandate touches on the issue of religious freedom, which is clear to any woman in the U.S. 'whether she's religious or not.'

" 'It goes too far,' she said, adding that women are beginning to ask fundamental questions about what the government would be able to regulate next if this mandate were to succeed...."
(CNA/EWTN News (March 13, 2012))

---

"...The Health and Human Services (HHS) Mandate has fueled debates over the Obama Administration's unwillingness to grant the necessary exemptions to religious institutions, forcing these institutions to pay for medical procedures that go against their religious beliefs...."
(ZENIT (March 5, 2012))

I put longer excerpts at the end of this post.¹ Headlines and links are under "In the news," too, below "Related posts."

Why Bother?

I'm a practicing Catholic. I take my faith very seriously. That means I can't just sit around, thinking beautiful thoughts and being 'spiritual.'

The Catholic Church has rules, lots of them.There are rules for folks in authority, and for folks who are under the authority of others. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2199, 2238-2242; summary, 2248-2257)

One of the rules says I'm supposed to take an active part in public life. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1915)

Authority, Rules, and "I Was Only Following Orders"

The Catholic Church has quite a bit to say about authority. And about obeying authority:s:

"The citizen is obliged in conscience not to follow the directives of civil authorities when they are contrary to the demands of the moral order, to the fundamental rights of persons or the teachings of the Gospel. Refusing obedience to civil authorities, when their demands are contrary to those of an upright conscience, finds its justification in the distinction between serving God and serving the political community. 'Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.'⁴⁸ 'We must obey God rather than men':⁴⁹

"When citizens are under the oppression of a public authority which oversteps its competence, they should still not refuse to give or to do what is objectively demanded of them by the common good; but it is legitimate for them to defend their own rights and those of their fellow citizens against the abuse of this authority within the limits of the natural law and the Law of the Gospel.⁵⁰"

(Catechism, 2242)

I've been over that recently:

• "Obedience, Yes: Blind Obedience, No"
  (March 12, 2012)

That "moral order" thing may be a little confusing. For the Catholic Church, morality isn't just about sex. I've been over that before, too. (June 3, 2011)

Because I'm a practicing Catholic, I'm not allowed to murder anybody. Even folks who are fair game, under American law and custom. This rule isn't as arbitrary as it may seem. It's tied up with what the Church says about human life:

• Human life is sacred
  (Catechism, 2258)
• Murder is wrong
  (Catechism, 2259-2262, 2268-2269)
  • Even if the victim is
    • Very young
      (Catechism, 2270-2275)
    • Sick or helpless
      (Catechism, 2276-2279)
    • Yourself
      (Catechism, 2280-2283)
  (from March 8, 2012)

Health, Science, and the Church

Folks have some very odd notions about religion, science, and being sensible. Bottom line, Catholics aren't required to be stupid. Or daft:

• Concern for health is a good idea
  (Catechism, 2288-2291)
  • Within reason
    (Catechism, 2289)
• Scientific medical research is a good idea
  (Catechism, 2292-2296)
  • Within reason
    (Catechism, 2294-2296)
  (from March 8, 2012)

I think the 'religion is against science' notion is connected with a snit involving gentlemen, back in the 19th century - and with the goofy belief that the physical creation is icky. And that's another topic. Topics.

Decisions and the November Election

Since I'm a registered voter in America, with an obligation to take an active part in public life, I plan to vote in the November election. No pressure: but if you're in the same position, you might consider voting, too.

The trick will be to vote responsibly. And that's yet another topic.

Paying attention to truth:

• "What the Catholic Church in America Actually Says: Resource Link List, March 16, 2012"
  (March 16, 2012)

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More posts about forcing Catholics to violate our conscience:
The Department of Health and Human Services vs. Conscience

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Related posts:

• "My Take on the News: Religious 'Freedom;' Killing the Victims; Another Hack Attack"
  (March 16, 2012)
  Particularly
  • Religious Freedom: For Those With Presidential Approval
• "My Take on the News: Life; Ambition; Authority; and Saint Thomas Becket"
  (March 9, 2012)
  Particularly
  • Little Sisters Won't Kill
  • Murder isn't Love
  • Religious Liberty, "Straight-Jacketing Mandates," and Cardinal Dolan
  • Rogue Rulers
  • HHS Mandate: What's the Big Deal?
• "HHS Mandate: 'Kill, or Pay the Assassins;' Catholic Bishops Say 'No' "
  (March 6, 2012)
• " 'The Jesus-Eating Cult of Rick Santorum' and 'America - Love It or Leave It' "
  (February 29, 2012)
• "HHS Mandate: Keeping the 'Wrong Sort' in Our Place?"
  (February 24, 2012)

In the news:

"CatholicVote Files Suit Against HHS on Behalf of Missouri Business Owner" CatholicVote.org, via PRNewswire-USNewswire and Brandenton Herald (March 16, 2012)
• "First secular business files lawsuit over HHS mandate"
  Michelle Bauman, CNA/EWTN News (March 15, 2012)
• "An Academic Look at the HHS Mandate"
  Ann Schneible, ZENIT (March 14, 2012)
• "Bishops say mandate fight is about government defining religion"
  Michelle Bauman, CNA/EWTN News (March 14, 2012)
• "Women's support for Obama drops in wake of HHS mandate"
  Michelle Bauman, CNA/EWTN News (March 13, 2012)
• "Expert From Becket Fund Explains What Is at Stake"
  Ann Schneible, ZENIT (March 5, 2012)

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¹ Excerpts from the news:

"CatholicVote Files Suit Against HHS on Behalf of Missouri Business Owner"
CatholicVote.org, via PRNewswire-USNewswire and Brandenton Herald (March 16, 2012)

"The CatholicVote.org Legal Fund today filed a first-of-a-kind federal lawsuit against the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on behalf of a Missouri business owner who contends the HHS mandate violates his constitutionally-protected religious beliefs...."

---

"First secular business files lawsuit over HHS mandate"
Michelle Bauman, CNA/EWTN News (March 15, 2012)

"A Missouri business owner has become the first employer of a for-profit, secular company to bring a lawsuit challenging the Obama administration's contraception mandate.

" 'Religious liberty is not limited to institutions,' said attorney Francis J. Manion, who says his client believes the administration is forcing him to violate his conscience under the new federal rule...."

---

"An Academic Look at the HHS Mandate"
Ann Schneible, ZENIT (March 14, 2012)
"Political Science Professors Consider Broader Implications

"Under the Obama administration's Health and Human Services Mandate, Catholic institutions throughout the United States are facing the possibility of having to either fund medical procedures which go against fundamental teachings of the Catholic Church, or pay a substantial fine.

"ZENIT recently spoke with Professor William R. Luckey and Professor Bernard Way, both professors of Political Science at Christendom College, about the broader implications of the HHS Mandate. Last month, the liberal arts college, located in Front Royal, Virginia, joined a growing number of Catholic institutions speaking out against the HHS Mandate....

"...Due to the requirements that the HHS Mandate imposes on Catholic institutions, the Obama administration has been widely criticized over the question of religious freedom. 'The real issue in political life,' explained Luckey, 'is not contraception: it's the First Amendment. That's the real issue because the Constitution says that there's not going to be a national religion. […] But it also says, "Congress shall make no law restricting the freedom of religion." '..."

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"Bishops say mandate fight is about government defining religion"
Michelle Bauman, CNA/EWTN News (March 14, 2012)

"The U.S. bishops are emphasizing that their opposition to the Obama administration's contraception mandate is not about birth control or health care, but about the government's attempt to impose its narrow definition of religion on the country.

" 'Indeed, this is not about the Church wanting to force anybody to do anything,' said the administrative committee of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in a March 14 statement.

"Instead, they explained, it is 'about the federal government forcing the Church - consisting of its faithful and all but a few of its institutions - to act against Church teachings.'..."

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"Women's support for Obama drops in wake of HHS mandate"
Michelle Bauman, CNA/EWTN News (March 13, 2012)

"A recent poll shows that President Barack Obama's approval ratings dropped 12 percentage points among women voters, despite claims that a federal contraception mandate would help his bid for re-election.

" 'It's definitely something that young women are concerned about,' said Kristan Hawkins, executive director of Students for Life of America.

"Hawkins told CNA on March 13 that beyond just contraception or abortion, the mandate touches on the issue of religious freedom, which is clear to any woman in the U.S. 'whether she's religious or not.'

" 'It goes too far,' she said, adding that women are beginning to ask fundamental questions about what the government would be able to regulate next if this mandate were to succeed...."

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"Expert From Becket Fund Explains What Is at Stake"
Ann Schneible, ZENIT (March 5, 2012)
"Expert From Becket Fund Explains What Is at Stake

"The Health and Human Services (HHS) Mandate has fueled debates over the Obama Administration's unwillingness to grant the necessary exemptions to religious institutions, forcing these institutions to pay for medical procedures that go against their religious beliefs...."