I'm not going to make this a "Catholic" issue since it affects everyone of good will. In a recent article I published, Battling over birth control..., a few people missed the point and thought I was bashing Catholic teaching on birth control. The reality is, I was putting it in perspective for the rest of the world. Peter, Datechguy, jumped in and defended me - and I thank him.
Obama leads what is clearly the most pro-abortion administration to ever rule over the country. And "rule" is the operative word. Aided by people who call themselves Catholic, such as Kathleen Sebelius and Nancy Pelosi, and helped along by bishops of the Church who naively thought they could "strike a deal" with people of no character, ObamaCare was passed in the dead of night and against the will of the American people.
Now this administration is attacking anyone not providing "free" birth control in their insurance plans. Just as there is ample evidence that abortion was the outcome of the legalization of birth control, we now witness what happens when the Church refuses to offer abortion referrals for victims of human trafficking.
From: The Catholic League (emphasis mine)
CATHOLIC CHURCH VS. OBAMA SHOWDOWN
On December 1, the House Committee on Oversight & Government Reform will hold a hearing titled, “HHS and the Catholic Church: Examining the Politicization of Grants.” At issue is the decision by the Obama administration to deny a grant that the Catholic Church routinely receives providing for relief to the victims of human trafficking; the ruling was made despite an independent review board’s finding that gave high scores to the Church’s program.
The Church was denied the grant because it refuses to offer abortion referrals. Many Catholics, including the Catholic League, believe that the politicized nature of the decision to defund the program demands a hearing, and on Thursday we will get it. Since 2006, the Church has helped more than 2,700 trafficking victims, most of whom are women and children.
Allow me to restate my position here. No insurance company should be required to provide "free" birth control, which is not "free." The cost is just passed along in the form of higher insurance costs for everyone. And in the very near future, people of good will will be required to pay even more for their insurance because we will be handing out "free" abortions. I think that's something even non-Catholics can agree with Catholics about.Although the issue of abortion referral is on the table, the real issue is something more sinister: the pro-abortion community, which is supporting the Obama administration’s push to mandate that private healthcare plans provide coverage for sterilization and contraceptive services, has its real sights set on mandated abortion coverage. That’s why there has been an editorial and op-ed explosion in recent weeks calling for Obama to stand up to the bishops. Everyone knows that even minimum-wage earners can afford contraceptives, so this issue hardly explains the heated rhetoric. What mandated contraceptive services accomplishes is that it greases the slide towards abortion coverage.
Those who do not ascribe to the vision of sexuality entertained by “progressives,” but are nonetheless not terribly bothered by the push for contraceptive services in healthcare plans, need to wake up and smell the odor before the “progressives” start racing for home. We’re at the top of the stretch right now, which is why this hearing is critical.
Remember recently when Pelosi made some silly remark about Catholics having this "conscience thing" meaning as long as we followed our conscience every thing would be just hunky dory?
As I said in my article linked above, it means a well-formed conscience, Nancy. And who's to blame for Catholic women contracepting at the same rate as the rest of the country? Let's take a look at what happened in the 60's when the "pill" first hit the market. Priests, who themselves had poorly formed consciences, gave a wink and a nudge to women using birth control.
I was there. I saw it. And it continues today.
They sided with dissenters when Pope Paul VI wrote the encyclical letter in 1968 Humanae Vitae, which explained very carefully and beautifully why birth control was wrong. More winks and nudges were forthcoming. I was there. I saw it.
Anyone with a properly formed conscience would see birth control for what it really is - a dangerous trip down a very slick road. It demeans the role of women, motherhood, marriage, and family. It turns men into "users of women", and away from their more natural role of provider and protector. It has fostered a world in which middle school age boys refer to girls they don't like as "f*king c*nts", as I overheard in the library just last week...the girls sitting with them were nodding in agreement.
We wouldn't be having any discussion about killing a full term baby in the womb if we had listened when people smarter than us told the truth about birth control.
More:
Stacy McCain, in one of his best articles ever, takes a look at contraception and abortion from a non-Catholic view point and does it very well - and we thank him.
Take time to read his wonderful article (if for no other reason than I spent a whole bunch of time tracking it down.)
The Pill at 50: Unhappy Un-Birthday
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