U.S. Bishops Correct
Biden’s Misleading
Statements
Vice President Joe Biden spent most of
his debate last week falsely accusing Paul Ryan of lying, but since then, it
has been Mr. Biden who has had the questions to answer in defense of
questionable assertions he made.
The Church will never officially
endorse a candidate or political party, though a proper understanding of
Catholic teaching makes the choice rather obvious in this election. And of course the Church will speak on
specific political issues. Mr. Biden’s
mischaracterization of the Obama administration’s religious liberty-killing HHS
mandate last week drew a response from the American bishops:
Last night,
the following statement was made during the Vice Presidential debate regarding
the decision of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to force
virtually all employers to include sterilization and contraception, including
drugs that may cause abortion, in the health insurance coverage they provide
their employees:
"With
regard to the assault on the Catholic Church, let me make it absolutely clear.
No religious institution—Catholic or otherwise, including Catholic social
services, Georgetown hospital, Mercy hospital, any hospital—none has to either
refer contraception, none has to pay for contraception, none has to be a
vehicle to get contraception in any insurance policy they provide. That is a
fact. That is a fact."
This is not
a fact. The HHS mandate contains a narrow, four-part exemption for certain
"religious employers." That exemption was made final in February and
does not extend to "Catholic social services, Georgetown hospital, Mercy
hospital, any hospital," or any other religious charity that offers its
services to all, regardless of the faith of those served.
HHS has
proposed an additional "accommodation" for religious organizations
like these, which HHS itself describes as "non-exempt." That proposal
does not even potentially relieve these organizations from the obligation
"to pay for contraception" and "to be a vehicle to get
contraception." They will have to serve as a vehicle, because they will
still be forced to provide their employees with health coverage, and that
coverage will still have to include sterilization, contraception, and
abortifacients. They will have to pay for these things, because the premiums
that the organizations (and their employees) are required to pay will still be
applied, along with other funds, to cover the cost of these drugs and
surgeries.
USCCB
continues to urge HHS, in the strongest possible terms, actually to eliminate
the various infringements on religious freedom imposed by the mandate.
For
more details, please see USCCB's regulatory comments filed on May 15 regarding
the proposed "accommodation": www.usccb.org/about/general-counsel/rulemaking/upload/comments-on-advance-notice-of-proposed-rulemaking-on-preventive-services-12-05-15.pdf
