A number of denominations and religious groups, including the UCC, today issued a statement supporting the Dept. of Health and Human Services ruling on contraception being provided by insurance companies. It reads, in part:
"We respect individuals' moral agency to make decisions about their sexuality and reproductive health without governmental interference or legal restrictions. We do not believe that specific religious doctrine belongs in health-care reform – as we value our nation's commitment to church-state separation. We believe that women and men have the right to decide whether or not to apply the principles of their faith to family planning decisions, and to do so they must have access to services.
"The Administration was correct in requiring institutions that do not have purely sectarian goals to offer comprehensive preventive health care. Our leaders have the responsibility to safeguard individual religious liberty and to help improve the health of women, their children and families. Hospitals and universities across the religious spectrum have an obligation to assure that individuals' conscience and decisions are respected and that their students and employees have access to this basic health care service.
This is really fascinating. The balance between religous liberty and individual liberty is complicated. I need to think on it some more.
Posted by: Justin Fortney | February 09, 2012 at 10:44 AM
Religious liberty is one part of individual liberty, isn't it?
Posted by: Scott Jones | February 09, 2012 at 05:03 PM
For some reason I've always seperated the two in my mind, but not for any good reason.
After a few days to let this whole thing simmer a bit, it really has begun to infuriate me how these particular religious organizations place themselves as some sort of moral police between a employee and their healthcare. People deserve to be treated with more dignity than that.
Thanks for posting articles about this.
Posted by: Justin Fortney | February 13, 2012 at 10:40 AM