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First, They Came for the Catholics
· Wednesday, February 1, 2012
President Obama and his radical feminist enforcers have had it in for Catholic medical providers from the get-go. It's about time all people of faith fought back against this unprecedented encroachment on religious liberty. First, they came for the Catholics. Who's next?
This weekend, Catholic bishops informed parishioners of the recent White House edict forcing religious hospitals, schools, charities and other health and social service providers to provide "free" abortifacient pills, sterilizations and contraception on demand in their insurance plans -- even if it violates their moral consciences and the teachings of their churches.
NARAL, NOW, Ms. Magazine and the Feminist Majority Foundation all cheered the administration's abuse of the Obamacare law to ram abortion down pro-life medical professionals' throats. Femme dinosaur Eleanor Smeal gloated over the news that the administration had rejected church officials' pleas for compromises: "At last," she exulted, the left's goal of "no-cost birth control" for all had been achieved.
As always, tolerance is a one-way street in the Age of Obama. "Choice" is in the eye (and iron fist) of the First Amendment usurper.
Like the rising number of states who have revolted against the individual health care mandate at the ballot box and in the courts, targeted Catholics have risen up against the Obamacare regime. Arlington (Va.) Bishop Paul Loverde didn't mince words, calling the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services order "a direct attack against religious liberty. This ill-considered policy comprises a truly radical break with the liberties that have underpinned our nation since its founding." Several bishops vowed publicly to fight the mandate.
Bishop Alexander Sample of Marquette, Mich., asserted plainly: "We cannot -- we will not -- comply with this unjust law."
It's not just rabid right-wing politicos defying the Obama machine. Pro-life Democratic Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania denounced the "wrong decision." Left-leaning Bishop Robert Lynch threatened "civil disobedience" in St. Petersburg, Fla., over the power grab. Lefty Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne wrote that Obama "botched" the controversy and "threw his progressive Catholic allies under the bus" by refusing to "balance the competing liberty interests here."
White House press secretary Jay Carney blithely denied on Tuesday that "there are any constitutional rights issues" involved in the brewing battle. Yet, the Shut Up and Hand Out Abortion Pills order undermines a unanimous Supreme Court ruling issued just last week upholding a religious employer's right to determine whom to hire and fire. And two private colleges have filed federal suits against the government to overturn the unconstitutional abortion coverage decree.
Hannah Smith, senior counsel at the nonprofit law firm The Becket Fund, which is representing the schools, boiled it down for Bloomberg News: "This is not really about access to contraception. The mandate is about forcing these religious groups to pay for it against their beliefs."
How did we get here? The first salvo came in December 2010, when the American Civil Liberties Union pushed HHS and its Planned Parenthood-championing secretary, Kathleen Sebelius, to force Catholic hospitals to perform abortions in violation of their core moral commitment to protecting the lives of the unborn.
The ACLU called for a litigious fishing expedition against Catholic hospitals nationwide that refuse to provide "emergency" contraception and abortions to women. In their sights: Devout Phoenix Catholic Bishop Thomas Olmsted, who revoked the Catholic status of a rogue hospital that performed several direct abortions, provided birth control pills and presided over sterilizations against the church's ethical and religious directives for health care.
The ACLU and the feminists have joined with Obama to threaten and sabotage the First Amendment rights of religious-based health care entities. The agenda is not increased "access" to health care services. The ultimate goal is to shut down health care providers -- Catholic health care institutions employ about 540,000 full-time workers and 240,000 part-time workers -- whose religious views cannot be tolerated by secular zealots and radical social engineers.
Is it any surprise their counterparts in the "Occupy" movement have moved from protesting "Wall Street" to harassing pro-life marchers in Washington, D.C., and hurling condoms at Catholic school girls in Rhode Island? Birds of a lawless, bigoted feather bully together.
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mmccrindle
The Catholic church should excommunicate all disciples of Obama for he is indeed a false prophit.
Posted February 1, 2012 at 8:31:50 AM
mmccrindle
BTW- I'd say this is just more proof that Oamacare is unconstitutional, but what do I know...
Posted February 1, 2012 at 9:55:13 AM
mmccrindle
I meant to say Barrycare but mispelled it.
Posted February 1, 2012 at 9:56:55 AM
ML Rucker
We need to adhere to the adage of "Be Careful what you wish for...." The Catholic Church was all pro-Obamacare when it was first proposed....Now see where it has gotten them...We can never let down our guard or we will wake up one morning in shackles rather than the "Land of the Free..."
Posted February 1, 2012 at 10:14:14 AM
alex torello
Rucker's right!
The Catholic Church springs to action only when an offence directly affects the Church.
They've enabled these two-faced liberal politicians for decades at the expense of the Faithful.
Posted February 1, 2012 at 10:58:05 AM
JTG
Defunding the ACLU is a good first step toward eliminating wastefull spending. For the little good they do on occasion, it's not worth the price nor the hassle.
Posted February 1, 2012 at 11:07:42 AM
Harry
I'm not Roman Catholic, but that is not the issue here. The government interference with any Christian belief or consciousness regardless of who they are smacks of persecution and another Constitutional safe guard is breached by the Liar-in-Chief.
If one follows the teaching of their church it is a travesty to have the government tell them they are wrong and we are right. They won't follow Obumma's dictates and I don't blame them. If you think the Catholic's are the only one's the government is after we better wake up! Your next.
This adds another layer to the absolute hate for the unconstitutional thing called Obamacare.
Posted February 1, 2012 at 11:38:15 AM
Randy
The lefties have changed the language of the First Amendment. According to Hillary and others, we now have freedom of "worship", NOT freedom of religion. So it doesn't matter what your church teaches, you have to do what the government says, as long as they aren't interfering in your "worship." Another example of the left's interpretation of the Constitution boiling down to "Shut up"
Posted February 1, 2012 at 12:22:46 PM
Army Officer (Ret)
All great comments so far. I'll specifically add my voice to those of ML Rucker and Alex Torello.
http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/catholic-health-association-lauds-obamacare/
That's the article at Lifesitenews.com that details how the Catholic Health Association (CHA) supported Obamacare, despite the fact that this provision was well-known and discussed even at the time. CHA President Carol Keehan even received one of the pens with which Obama signed the bill into law because of the support CHA gave to the effort to enact Obamacare.
To their (partial) credit, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops objected to the bill; not because it was blatantly unconstitutional and coercive and required the lawmakers to violate their oaths of office, but because it was going to affect THEM. They were apparently fine with it other than that.
NOW that they have managed to foist this abomination on the rest of use by getting in bed with the Obama Administration, they are complaining.
The phrase, "Hoist by their own petard" comes to mind.
Having said that: maybe, just maybe, the Catholic Church will get on the right side of more issues now that they see that liberals only tolerate them as long as they remain, in Lenin's phrase, "Useful idiots."
Posted February 1, 2012 at 12:28:35 PM
Dr.J.P.Lukenda
I see this has become a catholic bashing site by Rucker,Torello & I.q.(ret.).
Posted February 1, 2012 at 1:43:14 PM
Jonathan Sipe
Oh the hypocracy. If an atheist or muslim gets offended because a Christian says a prayer at a High School ball game or graduation then the ACLU is right there filling lawsuits against the school crying foul against the seperation of Church and State which only exists in the liberals minds. Now we have the Catholic Church being mandated to conduct abortions and where is the ACLU? On the side of Obama and his truly unconstitutional mandate. If he is allowed to get away with this then you can be sure that if the government does not want you to have a second child then mandated abortions will be next.
Posted February 1, 2012 at 1:49:22 PM
Jonathan Sipe
Oh the hypocracy. If an atheist or muslim gets offended because a Christian says a prayer at a High School ball game or graduation then the ACLU is right there filling lawsuits against the school crying foul against the seperation of Church and State which only exists in the liberals minds. Now we have the Catholic Church being mandated to conduct abortions and where is the ACLU? On the side of Obama and his truly unconstitutional mandate. If he is allowed to get away with this then you can be sure that if the government does not want you to have a second child then mandated abortions will be next.
Posted February 1, 2012 at 1:59:14 PM
wjmccrindle
The Nazis in Germany had the church follow party line, or they were killed. Read the Book Bohnhoffer, and be very concerned about the parrallels between the Nazi takeover and the Obama administration. Scary times indeed.
Posted February 1, 2012 at 3:25:03 PM
MikeEcho
(Before the Nazi takeover Hitler first had to wrest control of the government). I hope someone is keeping track of Obama's violations of his oath of office: "...and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."
Posted February 1, 2012 at 4:04:07 PM
XCpt
What shall we cling to? Guns and religion (for freedom against tyranny) or bread and circuses (for government dependency)?
I'm stocking up on ammo.
Posted February 1, 2012 at 5:25:49 PM
One VA Patriot
In the run-up to the 2008 presidential election I noticed the growing number of Obama bumperstickers in my church's parking lot. My church is the bishop's Cathedral for the Diocese of Northern VA. When I asked a few of the displayers if they knew of Obama's abotion position, they looked at me as though I had leprosy.
And the silence from the Bishop was DEAFENING!!!! He abandoned his flock; he abandoned his anti-abortion position, and he abandoned the trust of the people!
Liberal, post-liberation Catholics helped elect this president.
Posted February 2, 2012 at 7:34:37 AM
Jeff Price
First its forcing religious groups to engage in providing contraception, abortions etc. against their belief system. Next it will be forcing these same groups to accept/perform gay marriage under the threat of the same sorts of penalty.
Posted February 5, 2012 at 12:58:15 PM
Jake
Obama is simply attempting to further the "church of secularism" in the United States.
Posted February 7, 2012 at 3:12:49 PM