Dear Editor:
Regarding David Fogel’s March 1 letter, “Church, state, sex,” I feel I must comment. First of all, his characterization of Catholic dogma as “inflexible,” and his assertion that contraception would prevent abortions, are what have become an irrelevant and somewhat hackneyed slant on the issue of forcing Catholic institutions to provide birth control coverage.
First of all, as we have discovered, many of these institutions self insure, and as such would effectively be forced to distribute contraception. Even if they don’t directly distribute it, the concept of being forced to associate in any way with a practice that is anathema to the Catholic faith is unacceptable.
The real crux of this situation is the fact that when an individual becomes an employee of a Catholic institution, she is aware of company policy, as is any potential employee of any company. She therefore agrees to comply with the Church’s stance on not covering contraceptive services. This is where correct and appropriate freedom of choice should be applied: If you don’t like the rules, work somewhere else.
The Obama administration, which has done so much good for so many, must now stand up for freedom of religion and issue an across-the-board exemption for the Catholic Church in this matter.
Welcome to the discussion.
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