Money quote last night from Paul Ryan: “[If you’re not forcing Catholic Institutions to violate Catholic teaching] then why would they keep suing you?”
Redefining religious freedom seems to be a standard play in the life-style Left’s playbook.
Advocates of same-sex “marriage” continually say “no church will be forced to solemnize a same sex marriage,” while conveniently omitting the fact that their policy would subject every area where a church comes into contact with the public to unprecedented state scrutiny.
“Freedom of religion,” meaning something that informs and permeates your entire life, is becoming “freedom of worship,” meaning something you do inside the church building, with the state’s permission.
Last night, Joe Biden continued the pattern of attack on religious liberty through calculated obfuscation. He claimed that no Catholic institution “has to either refer for contraception, none has to pay for contraception, none has to be a vehicle to get contraception in any insurance policy they provide, that is a fact.”
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops takes issue with Biden’s statement:
This is not a fact. The HHS mandate contains a narrow, four-part exemption for certain “religious employers.” That exemption was made final in February and does not extend to “Catholic social services, Georgetown hospital, Mercy hospital, any hospital,” or any other religious charity that offers its services to all, regardless of the faith of those served.
HHS has proposed an additional “accommodation” for religious organizations like these, which HHS itself describes as “non-exempt.” That proposal does not even potentially relieve these organizations from the obligation “to pay for contraception” and “to be a vehicle to get contraception.” They will have to serve as a vehicle, because they will still be forced to provide their employees with health coverage, and that coverage will still have to include sterilization, contraception, and abortifacients. They will have to pay for these things, because the premiums that the organizations (and their employees) are required to pay will still be applied, along with other funds, to cover the cost of these drugs and surgeries.
Biden is evidently hoping that his statements will divert attention from the fact that the administration he serves has gone to war against the church he claims to be part of.
Biden’s statements last night should not be any consolation to any religious person.