Policy, Not Liberty

That's the title of the editorial in the new issue of AMERICA:  The National Catholic Weekly (which is a Jesuit publication).

An excerpt:

"By stretching the religious liberty strategy to cover the fine points of health care coverage, the campaign devalues the coinage of religious liberty. The fight the bishop’s conference won against the initial mandate was indeed a fight for religious liberty and for that reason won widespread support. The latest phase of the campaign, however, seems intended to bar health care funding for contraception. Catholics legitimately oppose such a policy on moral grounds. But that opposition entails a difference over policy, not an infringement of religious liberty. It does a disservice to the victims of religious persecution everywhere to inflate policy differences into a struggle over religious freedom. Such exaggerated protests likewise show disrespect for the freedom Catholics have enjoyed in the United States, which is a model for the world—and for the church."

The entire editorial is available here.

Comments

[Robert H]

This strikes me as spot on, Michael - thanks so much for posting it. The charges levelled against Mandate 1.0, which seemed to me legitimate, are trivialized when on it too quick to charge that Mandate 2.0's no different.

All best,
Bob

[Michael Perry]

Thanks, Bob.

Hey, a hearty congrats to you and your colleagues on making an important difference in the real world with your legislative work!

Michael