Church Organizations: We Don’t Want To Prevent Unwanted Pregnancy

President Obama and the Democrats put forward a provision in the 2010 Healthcare Law- presumably this was done in 2010, you know, a full year or more ago-that would force all insurance companies to offer at least basic birth control under their healthcare plans.  This, to me, seems perfectly reasonable, yet Republicans and religious groups are up in arms because some of the employers who co-sponsor these benefits are Catholic Universities, Hospitals, and other institutions under the Diocese-as well as various other religious groups that hold on to the ridiculous belief that practicing birth control is an immoral act.

The healthcare law currently makes exemptions for churches, diocese, and other religious organizations that do not serve the wider public.  What it doesn’t do is exempt religious organizations that offer services outside of the church proper.

The argument is that a Catholic hospital, for example, should not be required to contribute to an insurance plan that affords benefits for services that contradict the conscience of the corporation. Other writers have done a better job than I ever could at pointing out the flaw in this reasoning, so I will point you to two of the better articles I have read on the subject- here and here.

What I want to ask is not whether religious organizations have a right to decide what services their employees have access to as part of a comprehensive national healthcare plan (Hint: they don’t.). What I do want to ask is whether or not they see the fantastic irony of being on the front line of the battle to end abortion while fighting against one of the most effective ways to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies.

The Yeshua Fog Conundrum

There’s been a big emotional explosion at Le Café Witteveen. Unknown to me before last week, my brother, SiL (sister in law) and dad are all regular readers (hey guys!). I’ve been ignorantly and egregiously beleaguering the lot of them (their views really, but it’s hard not to take that personally) with an insolent blitzkrieg of atheist word bombs. Sometimes I post videos or gather ammunition from other blogs or regular readers, and they act as my New World Order Obama Army of Darkness. Some times I get Julie to sniper rifle a hefty hole in wackaloonery. Or I will get Petursey to sick the dastardly dogs on the matter and cause a sense of dominating dereliction.

[insert cricket sound]

The awakening, however, of my family frequenting Le Café as regulars punched me in the nuts.

On one hand, maybe they lurked because they didn’t want to disrupt the flow. They realized it was my little dirrrrty secret. Or they rubbernecked the trainwreck and they were amazed by the amount of carnage laying around the front doors of Le Café.

On the other hand they lurked because they wanted to know me. And that feels good. Nothing says “I love you” like sifting through someone’s diary and not telling them.

SMOOTH

I don’t care what you think of this president, this is some smooth work in this video. I got goosebumps when the people toward the end are jumping up and down. It’s such a cool visual.  

65% approval ratings? Awesome. 

Seems like there’s a verse I’ve got memorized about leadership acting diminutive toward their status. Matthew 19:30: “But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.”

Word Press doesn’t allow me to post the viewer, so here’s the link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30892505/vp/31074125#31074125

Of course the verse before it says leave families, brothers and sisters for Jesus and you will be rewarded 100 fold. Whatever the hell that means. 

 

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