Forced to move on

ALBANY, N.Y. — Catholic and other religious social-service groups must provide contraceptive coverage through their workplace-sponsored medical insurance programs even if they consider contraception a sin, according to yesterday's ruling by New York state's highest court.

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The 6-0 decision by the state Court of Appeals hinged on defining Catholic Charities and the other nine religious groups suing the state to be social-service agencies, rather than only operating as churches.

The organizations "believe contraception to be sinful," the decision in Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Albany v. Serio states. "We must weigh against (their) interests in adhering to the tenets of their faith the state's substantial interest in fostering equality between the sexes, and in providing women with better health care."

"This is the sixth court that ruled in this — three in California and three in New York — and all came to the same conclusion," Smith said.

"Today's ruling shows that no one is above the law, including the Catholic bishops," said Kelli Conlin, president of NARAL Pro-Choice New York, part of the national abortion rights organization. "No employer should be able to force their beliefs upon their employees, especially given that 97 percent of Catholics report using birth control."

Logic is just a tool. It depends upon which parameters are fed into the logic
engine. How about these winners???...

1.
the state's substantial
interest in fostering equality between the sexes

2.
providing women
with better health care

What are these parameters doing being fed into the logic of contraception? They
are fed based upon the beliefs of the judiciary in New York and California.

Catholics take an opposite position that contraception is not health
care, and ruins the complimentary between the sexes.

Catholic charities
got their start long before the government had any effective stake in those
areas. Now the Church operating as a business is getting pummeled by the ever
building irreligious socialist state.

Perhaps it is time for the Church
to move on into new areas where the government again has no effective stake.
Mother Teresa went where no one else would go. The poorest of the poor, the
nearest to dying, the peacemakers.

Settled and comfortable bureaucratic
bodies can sap a lot of the energy from the original mission. When we get
tangled up with paychecks and insurance and competition with entrenched
irreligious bodies, moving to a place with more breathing room and light may be
in order.