It’s an election year. That means that my facebook feed is full of stuff from my non-conservative friends about their chosen candidate. OK. Fine. Normally I just roll my eyes and move on.
But when it comes to stuff against my religion, I tend to post–respectfully!–and ask what the heck is going on here
To wit: A college pal of mine posted a photo with this quote from the President:
No, you can’t deny women their basic rights and pretend it’s about your ‘religious freedom’. If you don’t like birth control, don’t use it. Religious freedom doesn’t mean you can force others to live by your beliefs.”
INSTANT headache. I swear, does this guy think before he speaks? No. He just panders.
OK, let’s dissect this.
- Since when is chemical birth control a basic right? If you don’t want kids, don’t have sex when you’re fertile. There’s a reason why Catholics who don’t use birth control don’t have 14 kids. I grew up with two siblings, not 18. You can “control” how many kids you have by not having sex during certain times of the month! Geez louise people.
- Well, yes, see, religious freedom means that we, as Catholics, practice our religion sans government interference. As the President was, once upon a time, a Con Law professor, he should remember the Free Exercise Clause. (” Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof”). Thus: If we start a Catholic hospital, or a Catholic company, we have the constitutionally guaranteed right to put in place Catholic moral guidelines without the government telling us we can’t do it.
- If you are not Catholic, and would like birth control or abortion services, one would think you should not 1) work for a Catholic company (and I mean a real Catholic one, not a “catholic” one) and/or 2) receive your health care at a place that is also, not affiliated with the Catholic Church! This is not a difficult thing.
- “If you don’t like birth control, don’t use it.” Well, yes, there’s that. Such a mature and solid argument! Catholics don’t just “not like ” birth control. We think it’s sinful. That’s a bit more serious than dislike. TO provide it is also a sin.
- We’re not forcing anyone to not use birth control! How in the world is he getting this from any sort of logic? (see above) If you want birth control, here are your options: 1) work for a company that provides contraceptive coverage 2) buy it yourself, regardless of insurance coverage 3) go to a hospital that is not affiliated with the Catholic Church. I don’t remember anyone having a gun held to their head and being forced to go to a Catholic hospital, last time I checked. And if you live in an area where a Catholic hospital is your only choice for “emergency” contraception, I’m sorry, but we shouldn’t have do something that we consider gravely immoral because you want us to, and you made a bad choice.
And no, sorry: just because a “majority of Catholics polled” think birth control is acceptable, doesn’t mean it is.
