Why Catholics should understand bishops’ objections to HHS mandate
By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette
Monday, June 25, 2012, 10 a.m. — On the eve of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on the constitutionality of parts of the Affordable Care Act — otherwise known as Obamacare — the nation’s bishops are asking Catholics to take part in a two-week period of reflection, prayer and study on religious freedom.
Many Catholics have questioned why the leadership of the Catholic Church apparently reversed course — the bishops and other church leaders have long supported universal healthcare. Why have they changed their minds and why have they filed lawsuits against the government over Obamacare?
First, let’s make it clear — the nation’s bishops still support universal healthcare. They have always supported the concept, and they supported the Obama Administration’s push for approval of the Affordable Care Act. It isn’t the law they object to, but the regulations written by the Department of Health and Human Services.
The bishops oppose a regulation known as the “HHS mandate,” a rule that requires employers with 50 or more employees to provide healthcare insurance. This mandate also requires employers to provide insurance plans that include coverage for abortions, birth control, sterilization and other procedures, including those that result in the death of an embryo — without regard for moral or religious objections.
This rule will force Catholic agencies to provide services that directly contradict the teachings of their faith. By implementing this rule, the federal government is claiming the right to decide for religious institutions what constitutes their ministry.
EXEMPTION SO NARROW CHRIST WOULDN’T QUALIFY. The HHS mandate does include an exemption; however, the criteria for granting the exemption is so narrow, that its said that Jesus Christ and his Apostles would not meet the exemption’s narrow requirements.
Isn’t this really a debate over access to contraceptives? No — contraceptives are affordable and available. The issue here is the federal government overruling the actions of religious organizations in issues that violate the religious faith’s tenets of belief.
Critics of the Catholic bishops argue that many states have near identical mandates for coverage of these services. That is true; however, all of those states also have exemptions that accommodate religious organizations with moral or religious objections. Another important point is that these state mandates are imposed on insurance companies, not employers.
To meet the requirements for an HHS mandate exemption, a religous entity must only employ members of its faith and serve only members of its faith. The exemption also requires the entity to have teaching religions as its main goal, and requires it to meet the narrow IRS definition of a “church.”
Catholic organizations (and organizations of many other faiths) do not exist to only serve those of the same faith. These organizations serve others not because of the beliefs of those they serve, but because of the beliefs of the organization. No one seeking help from a Catholic charity is turned away based on their religion.
Clearly, no Catholic organization that is not a church will meet all four of the requirements for an exemption. Thus, Catholic employers will be forced by government to provide services which they find morally objectionable. The HHS mandate is an unprecedented attack on our long-established right to the free exercise of religion.
The issue here isn’t just a debate over abortion or contraception — this is a debate over the federal government’s move to force religious organizations to become secular in nature, or cease to exist. Religious organizations that fail to follow the HHS mandate will face substantial fines.
CALL TO ACTION. No matter your view on the Affordable Care Act, take time to understand the implications of the HHS mandate on our ability to maintain the right to the free exercise of religion. “Exercise” is the key word, because it describes exactly what our Catholic agencies do — they are our faith in action around the globe. The HHS mandate chips away this freedom, one that is essential to our American way of life.
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