Originally Posted by djplong

By the same token, it is not mandatory that the Church operate a hospital.

Like I said - this is where I see the disconnect. The Church cannot do certain things (the most flagrant example I can find is serving alcohol to minors) outside the walls. Likewise, the Church could not keep women from positions of authority in a hospital the way they do inside the Church (no female priests, Bishops, etc). They *have* to follow the laws.

When the Church wanted to expand St. Joseph's in Nashua NH, they have to apply for permits, follow labor laws, building codes, etc. They did that with no problem.

They had a WANT to expand the hospital - not a RIGHT.

Why does the Church's hospital have to follow every law I can think of except this one on the insurance mandate? They ARE violating their moral code when women are in positions of authority - because that's not the way the Church runs their internal business.