Church stance not stifling rights

I support the position of the U.S. Catholic bishops that Catholic universities and hospitals must not be required to provide insurance to their employees to cover abortions or contraceptives.

It has long been a firm position of the teachings of the Catholic Church, spelled out in Pope Paul VI’s 1968 writing Humane Vitae, that it is sinful to use artificial means to prevent human conception or implantation of a fertilized egg into the uterus following conception.

It is also sinful for Catholics to support any action that contributes to contraception or abortion. For government to attempt to attempt to require by law of an institution affiliated with the church that it provide support toward, financial or otherwise, promoting an act of contraception is an affront to religious liberty of Catholics and goes against the Constitution.

To be true to the teachings of the church on the immorality of the use of contraception or abortion, any institution associated with the Catholic church must refrain from supporting or facilitating on a financial basis any prescription for contraceptives.

If a woman employed by a business associated with the Catholic Church believes she may use contraceptives in good conscience, her freedom of religion allows her to do that. But if she chooses to be employed by an entity associated with the church, she has to accept that the religious freedom of that entity which requires it to not provide the financial means for her to take an action that the church holds as morally wrong.

Such a woman’s religious liberty is not being violated as she can still exercise her free will and legal right to practice contraception. However, she will have to fund it by some means other than through insurance provided by an employer associated with the Catholic Church.

Thomas Figiel

Roselle