As the Supreme Court prepares to hear two religious challenges to Obamacare’s birth control provision, it may appear that battle lines are drawn in the sand between faith communities and secular interests. But that’s actually somewhat of a false dichotomy. Not all religious groups are opposed to contraceptive coverage — and some are actually speaking up in favor of it, urging the nation’s highest court to rule in favor of the health law.
A group of 45 religious leaders have signed onto a letter in support of birth control coverage, pointing out that the two for-profit companies challenging Obamacare don’t speak for all people of faith. Although Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood are arguing that extending birth control coverage to workers is a violation of their religious liberty, the letter’s signatories point out that isn’t how that concept has traditionally been defined.
“Religious freedom means that each individual has the right to exercise their own beliefs and the right not to have others’ beliefs forced upon them,” the faith leaders write. “No single religious voice can speak for all faith traditions on contraception, nor should government take sides on religious differences. We call on our government to respect the beliefs and values of everyone’s faith by safeguarding equal access to contraception for those whose conscience leads them to use it.”
does this throw a wrench in the right wing battle of my way or no way? i like their interpretation of freedom of religion wondering have the evangelical charlatans had their congregations drink the tea yet, because real religion is in opposition to their "teachings" of selfish bigotry and no mind but theirs?
A group of Catholic nuns is joining the cause, too. Although the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has been one of the loudest opponents of Obamacare’s contraceptive provision, and has repeatedly pressured the White House to widen the health law’s existing religious liberty exemption, not every nun agrees. The National Coalition of American Nuns (NCAN), which has a long history of activism around issues of reproductive justice, is defending birth control coverage in a new online petition.
“This has gotten out of hand,” Sister Donna Quinn, who heads NCAN, told Religion Dispatches. “It isn’t ‘faith and freedom’ when reproductive autonomy isn’t extended by the Catholic Church to women. Now we have other Christian religions seeing what the bishops are doing and saying we will do likewise.”
this must really stick a burr under the saddle of Catholic teaching before Pope Frankie now they have the second most powerful voice in the religion supporting them oh and did i mention they were Nuns, women?
Bishops be gone.
