Over the years, I haven't always been impressed with the statements issued by Sr. Mary Ann Walsh in her role as Director of Media Relations for the USCCB. But I have to applaud her bluntness in the statement she issued Monday on her USCCB Blog about the new rules announced by HHS requiring coverage, with no co-pay, of contraceptives.

The title of the post makes it clear that she sees the move as an out & out attack on the Constitution,esp the 1st Amendment. But then she comes out swinging with the opening line: "Health and Human Services must think Catholics and other religious groups are fools." & she doesn't let up. 1st she makes it clear how limitted the rule is for exempting religious organizations. Then she makes it clear that that wording is totally contrary to how the Catholic Church operates its charitable efforts. She goes on to show the rule would force Catholic Harities, for example, would be spending money on things contrary to Catholic teaching rather that spending it where it is truly needed, to help the poor. She calls the rule "HHS’s command" that requires that "everyone, including churches, must pay for it exalts ideology over conscience and common sense."

Her next punch is to point out how this benefits Planned Parenthood, something I pointed out in a post yesterday. Then she goes after President Obama reminding him that "promised to respect religious rights as he garnered support from the church community to pass the health care reform act. " She goes on to say "HHS is on its way to violating that promise." She ends with a challenge: "For the sake of basic integrity – the President’s keeping his word and for the protection of the right to religious freedom – President Obama needs to speak up now. "

While I applaud what she said, it is too little, too late. Last year some of the Bishops were clear about what was wrong with ObamaCare. But many Bishops & these same Catholic institutions were more than welcoming for the so-called reform of health care. & more than willing to accept promises by Obama with little to nothing to back them up. What we are seeing is how hollow Obama's promises really were. & we are seeing the price that is now being paid by those same Catholic institutions who were more than willing to compromise their beliefs last year to get a share of the government largesse in health care. If you sell your soul to the devil as they did, this is the price you pay. How many of them are going to come out now & admit they were wrong? Sadly, I don't expect many will, because many of them really aren't as Catholic as they claim. & the truth will out. & when it does, . . . well more of that in another post.

HHS Makes In-Your-Face Effort to Undermine Constitution’s Religious Freedom
Health and Human Services must think Catholics and other religious groups are fools.

That’s all you can think when you read HHS’s recent announcement that it may exempt the church from having to pay for contraceptive services, counseling to use them and sterilizations under the new health reform in certain circumstances. As planned now, HHS would limit the right of the church not to pay for such services in limited instances, such as when the employees involved are teaching religion and in cases where the people served are primarily Catholic.

HHS’s reg conveniently ignores the underlying principle of Catholic charitable actions: we help people because we are Catholic, not because our clients are. There’s no need to show your baptismal certificate in the hospital emergency room, the parish food pantry, or the diocesan drug rehab program. Or any place else the church offers help, either.

With its new regulation, HHS seeks to force church institutions to buy contraceptives, including drugs that can disrupt an existing pregnancy, through insurance they offer their own employees. This is part of HHS’s anticipated list of preventive services for women that private insurance programs must provide under the new health reform law.

The exemption is limited, to say the least. The pastor in the Catholic parish doesn’t have to buy the Pill for his employees, but the religious order that runs a Catholic hospital has to foot the bill for surgical sterilizations. And diocesan Catholic Charities agencies have to use money that would be better spent on feeding the poor to underwrite services that violate church teachings.
Whatever you think of artificial birth control, HHS’s command that everyone, including churches, must pay for it exalts ideology over conscience and common sense.

Perhaps HHS is unduly influenced by lobbyists. No surprise there. Certainly a major lobbyist is Planned Parenthood, the nation’s chief proponent of contraceptive services. Contraceptive services make a lot of money for Planned Parenthood clinics, which (again no surprise) provide the “services” HHS has mandated.

HHS and Planned Parenthood are narrow in focus. Respect for religious rights isn’t likely a key concern for them. However, it ought to be a key concern for President Obama, who last year promised to respect religious rights as he garnered support from the church community to pass the health care reform act. To assuage concerns, President Obama went so far as to issue an executive order promising that the health care reform act would not fund abortion or force people and institutions to violate their consciences. HHS is on its way to violating that promise. For the sake of basic integrity – the President’s keeping his word and for the protection of the right to religious freedom – President Obama needs to speak up now.