To the Editor:
The Catholic hierarchy in the U.S. has chosen to take a firm and very public stand against the administration’s requirement that insurance companies cover contraception. Why doesn’t the hierarchy take the same stand against politicians who ignore Catholic teaching on the death penalty, war and social justice? These are “life” issues also.
Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, a Catholic and father of nine children, has stated “We have never held that an individual’s religious beliefs excuse him from compliance with an otherwise valid law.” In addition, the Supreme Court has ruled against Native Americans and the Amish who attempted to claim religious exemptions from the law. Why should the Catholic Church be treated any differently on the issue of contraception coverage?
Why is the hierarchy of the Catholic Church in America picking a fight over contraception when it has already lost that battle with an overwhelming majority of its own membership? I believe the underlying issue is abortion. Catholics are almost unanimously against aborting a human life once it has begun. Since the official Catholic teaching is that life begins at conception, I believe it would be wise for the Church to focus its contraception efforts on abortifacients only. That’s a battle it might be able to win.
Joe Gross
Donahue
