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Originally Posted by ceejay
Ok...so am I reading you post and statement wrong?
A Church or religious school is "an establishment" of religion. But it starts out by saying "Congress shall pass NO Law respecting...
So, you said "establishment" is a noun...which would mean a Church or a hospital or a school..correct?
So, if they can "pass NO law respecting an establishment of religion" how can Mr. Obama make a law (mandate) that they provide birth control?
I realize that he has since "changed his mind", but I guess I'm confused by your post as well, djplong.
If you "choose" to work for a Catholic (or whatever) enterprise...it's always been a given that they will not cover contraceptives or abortions. That's been the standard for as long as I can remember. What gives Mr. Obama the right to change it?
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Here's how it works in this particular case.
Understand that there already is an exception for *churches* - all churches. All churches are treated equally.
Mass. General Hospital in Boston, for example, will have to provide coverage for contraceptives.
Catholic Medical Center in Manchester NH will now also have to do so (if they don't already). If they are allowed to have an exception, then the law IS "respecting an establishment of religion" in that it's a law on businesses that is allowing an exception if that business is affiliated with a church. That violates Equal Protection Under The Law.
Now, here's the real kicker.
NH Catholic Charities spokesperson Nick Boudreau was quoted in an article on January 29th:
Officials decry rule making health plans cover contraception | New Hampshire NEWS06
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N.H. Catholic Charities would be forced to provide coverage for sterilization, abortion-inducing drugs and contraception or choose to not provide health care coverage to employees, or tragically stop serving non-Catholics who make up a high percentage of the needy we serve.
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A few days later, the paper found the following:
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New Hampshire has a state insurance mandate for contraceptives similar to the federal one that has generated so much controversy over the past few weeks.
And that's why some Catholic institutions here, including New Hampshire Catholic Charities and Saint Anselm College, currently provide such coverage for their employees.
RSA 415:18-i mandates that any company that provides group health insurance must cover all prescription contraceptive drugs and devices approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The mandate has been in effect here since Jan. 1, 2000, after the Legislature passed it with bipartisan support the previous year.
Unlike the federal mandate, there is no so-called “conscience exemption” under the New Hampshire law to allow churches not to provide coverage that goes against their religious beliefs
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So it just gets more confusing as to who's paying - like one of the articles says, it's more like a shell game as far as where the money comes from and goes to...
I just think that it's interesting that the week after a good jobs report comes out (lower unemployment, fewer UI claims, etc), suddenly the campaign screaming shifted to THIS issue.