Bishop urges action to thwart bill

His letter regards a bill, already passed by the State Senate and now before the Assembly, requiring that group health insurance provided by Catholic institutions cover artificial contraception, "many of which [methods] cause abortions," the Bishop noted.

Terming the bill a "calamity," Bishop Hubbard points out that "in effect, the State Senate has determined that our Catholic hospitals, nursing homes, schools and charitable agencies are not subject to constitutional protections regarding the free exercise of religion."

The bill says that only those agencies serving a majority of Catholics would be entitled to withhold contraception insurance. Such agencies would probably include parishes, but hospitals and other agencies serve a wider range of clientele.

"The usurpation by the Senate of the right to decide which institutions are Catholic and which are not," the Bishop writes, "is particularly galling to the leaders of Catholic hospitals, schools and charitable agencies. To suggest that they are not 'Catholic'...is simply to ignore the fact that they were founded to respond to the Gospel mandate of Jesus Christ to feed the hungry, care for the sick and educate the poor! These institutions serve people of all religions and none -þ not because those people are Catholic, but because the institutions are. To suggest that these institutions lose their Catholic identity because their service is universal would be comical, were the implications not so tragic."

Bishop Hubbard charges that the bill reflects an attempt by "abortion proponents...to put Catholic health care and social services out of business. If that happens, the abortion advocates will have had their way."

Unless the pending legislation is stopped, the Bishop argues, more threats against the Church will be attempted. "The attack will not end with the present proposed legislation," he says in his letter....Mandates involving direct abortion will surely follow."

To stop the legislation, Bishop Hubbard urges Catholics "to write or call your legislators and communicate your rejection of this anti-Catholic legislation. Please ask your friends and family to do the same. All people of good will, regardless of their views on the morality of contraception, should oppose the attempts by our Legislature to trample on the First Amendment."

(03-21-02) [[In-content Ad]]