Catholic Bishops Begin 2-Week Campaign to Fight Birth Control Mandate

June 22, 2012

June 23, 2012 at 4:35 pm

Raymond E. Sabbatis says:

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With the Pedophilia issue in the church being far from resolved, is this latest smokescreen intended to further cover up the real problem in the church? First, the average Catholic family in the U.S.A. average three children per household! Is the low birthrate due to “Divine Providence” or is there something else occurring here…like some form of birth control? I studied the case of one Father Gilbert Goethe, a classic example of exactly how the Catholic church deals with pedophilia, the real problem in / with the Catholic church. So my advice to you is; Take care, resolve the real problem in the church and forget about dealing with a non issue…I state it’s a non issue based on the birth rate in Catholic families! And, the Do As You’re Told Not As I Do…didn’t fly when I first heard it and it doesn’t fly now or ever!

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- June 25, 2012 at 1:46 pm
  
  WHAT?!?!? says:
  
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  It has nothing to do with pedophilia in the church or for that matter even the birth control issue. It is a matter of “FREEDOM OF RELIGION” The federal government CANNOT mandate health coverage or issues concerning health if it is against your religion!
  
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- June 25, 2012 at 2:17 pm
  
  JN says:
  
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  You state: “the average Catholic family in the U.S.A. average three children per household! Is the low birthrate due to “Divine Providence” or is there something else occurring here…like some form of birth control?”
  ——
  
  What is your point? The Church does not now nor has it ever changed its teachings because of public opinion. By your logic, the fact that the majority of people in the world are not Catholic should be reason enough for the Church to close its doors and disband.
  As to your assertion that this is just a “smokescreen” to distract from the “pedophilia issue”: no, it is not. To date, 75 priests have been convicted of child abuse in one form or another. There are just a hair under 39,500 active priests in the United States. Simple division will tell you that the number of substantiated allegations (read: those that end in conviction) number less than 2/10 of one percent.
  A 2004 US Dept. of Education study authored by Hofstra professor Dr. Carol Shakeshaft estimated that nearly 9.5% of all public school students are targets of sexual misconduct from their teachers. The results of the study caused the author to later opine in 2006, “the physical sexual abuse of studetns in schools is likely more thna 100 times the abuse by priests.” The same 2004 report revealed that of the 225 cases of educator abuse in NY in 1994, all of the alleged perpetrators admitted to the abuse, but none was reported to the authorities. So, it seems that there is a child abuse issue in public schools, as well. To apply your logic, any time there is another issue facing the public school system, it must be a smokescreen to cover up the real problem!
  
  If you are going to make this kind of argument, please be honest about it. You make yourself sound like a fool.
  
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  - June 25, 2012 at 2:27 pm
    
    thebiggerlebowski says:
    
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    Aces, mate. I could not have said it better.
    
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June 24, 2012 at 6:47 am

Systemic risk says:

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This “fight” by the Catholic Church is a sham meant for their few remaining & dwindling parishioners. 30 years ago the Catholic hospital system was a great one, but when they started down the road
of state & federal health mandates, they started dancing with the devil. Why should the Bishops be surprised? They actively encouraged the increasing power of the Federal & State governments when it suited their interests.

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June 25, 2012 at 2:07 pm

Just another baby boomer says:

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Until I know the management issues in the Catholic Church actually place some accountability on their priests and those in charge — the church has no place to worry about anything else. Personally I feel it is time the church allows marriage and female priests — it might help them figure out they are not what they think they are — and they can no longer HIDE pedophiles in the church.

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June 25, 2012 at 2:25 pm

thebiggerlebowski says:

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Wow. Didn’t take long for those who know nothing about the Catholic Church or the Catholic faith (or even the issue at hand) to add their two cents. The issue is whether the Federal Government can tell an entire faith community what they can or cannot believe, or can or cannot teach. It is unconstitutional, and it’s wrong. And the argument (that the Feds cannot dictate what a religion can teach) is invalidated by a non-sequitor (pedophiles!) is the same, tired, illogical and untrue argument you folks use to attack every time.

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June 25, 2012 at 2:59 pm

Jill says:

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So once the church has its way and their plans will not pay for birth control pills for example, what will this change? Will Catholics stop using this form of birth control? The Federal government did not and will not mandate that anyone has to use birth control.

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- June 25, 2012 at 4:03 pm
  
  JN says:
  
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  Jill, it doesn’t matter whether or not Catholics will stop using birth control. The protest is not really about contraception, it’s about whether or not a religious institution can be forced to violate its conscience.
  The Catholic Church is leading the charge for all religious institutions and individuals. If religious institutions are forced to violate their consciences in this regard, what would stop the government from forcing them on another issue? The government has no business legislating the tenets of any religion, not just Catholicism.
  Besides, the Church’s theology does not take public opinion into account.
  
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June 26, 2012 at 9:25 am

Just another baby boomer says:

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Seriously — we get told what to do by the Feds every day. What makes it ok for the Catholic Church to hide child sexual abusers and worry about what the Feds (who do not hold the church or the individuals involved in the sexual abuse accountable) say about insurance carriers including or excluding birth control.

Come on, let’s grow up people. If you want a house full of children — don’t take birth control; if you don’t want to house full of children — take birth control and pay for it like everyone else who makes their own decision about the subject and do not need a religious organization to tell them how to plan their family.

I am a Catholic and I do not understand how anyone in the World would still believe anything the Catholic tells them — including issues related to birth control, etc.

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- June 26, 2012 at 4:00 pm
  
  thebiggerlebowski says:
  
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  You are starting from the wrong premise, once again. We DON’T get “told what to do by the Feds” when it comes to the free practice of our religion. “We,” as in “me” and “you.” This is not a Catholic Church issue. This is a Constitutional law issue regarding the free practice one’s religion. As Catholics, we believe that birth control is an intrinsic evil that places a barrier between husband and wife, not just physically, but spiritually, as well. If we are not open to life, then we cannot be open to each other, nor can we be open to a faithful and loving relationship with God. Assuming you go to Mass every Sunday, you recite the Nicene Creed. If you don’t believe it, then why call yourself Catholic? It sounds like you need to go out and find another church. There are only about 30,000 of them out there, so you should be able to find one that is willing to compromise their teachings to accommodate your beliefs.
  
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