Freedom of Religion

We Americans are proud of our freedoms: Freedom of Speech, Freedom of the Press and among many others, Freedom of Religion. Our founding fathers, seeing what religion in government had done in Europe, knew that in order to accomplish Freedom of Religion here in America, church and state had to be separated.

The Washington Post reported yesterday that the Catholic Bishops are rejecting the compromise President Obama proposed for birth control. Under the original plan all employers would have to pay for women’s health care. Obama’s latest proposal makes the insurance carriers pay for birth control costs. The Bishops reject this saying their employees would still have access to birth control.

reported that 68% of Catholic Women use . If the Bishops can’t force their own parishioners to abstain from using birth control, why should they be allowed to try to force their employees?

And why has the Catholic Church been able to bypass civil law? They have already been allowed to harbor heinous criminals, aka pedophile priests. Why hasn’t every accused priest been tried in civil court?

Now they are trying to discriminate against women again. Unemployment is high. Most people can’t afford to be too picky when looking for a job. If women can’t work at these places because they don’t provide adequate insurance, in many cases they can’t work, which is not an option.

But is this really about birth control or money? Are the bishops afraid insurance companies will re-classify “birth control” as just the pills or devices leaving employers to fund the more expensive aspects of female health care that have been included under birth control, for example, hysterectomies?

Interesting, the Bishops don’t mind receiving weekly donations from their birth control using members! And they don’t mind being paid for the tubal ligations done at their hospitals!

Birth control is a religious issue, not a civil issue. Religious law can only be enforced by the individual for themselves. (No one can make anyone else love thy neighbor!) God speaks everyone uniquely.

Let's not kid ourselves, birth control prohibition in any form cannot be included in any civil law unless we want to change our constitution and eliminate freedom of religion.