Diocese: End forced contraception coverage

As The Evangelist went to press this week, the Albany Diocese was preparing to participate in oral arguments Sept. 19 in a lawsuit regarding the Women's Health and Wellness Act.

That New York State law, which took effect Jan. 1, includes a stipulation that religious institutions must provide contraception coverage for their employees.

Although the Diocese supports the remainder of the law -- which provides for increased access to health screenings and other services -- the bishops of New York State have joined with employers of other faiths to fight the contraception mandate on the grounds of religious freedom.

Other plaintiffs include Temple Baptist Church in Halfmoon, First Bible Baptist Church in Rochester, Delta Development of Western New York in Buffalo and the Servants of Relief for Incurable Cancer in Hawthorne.

Taking action

Sister Maureen Joyce, RSM, is executive director of diocesan Catholic Charities, a lead plaintiff in the lawsuit. She said that the Diocese began its protest by writing to the many insurance companies it deals with, asking to be exempted from covering contraception, and advising Catholic hospitals, nursing homes and other organizations to do the same.

Sister Maureen noted that a few Catholic institutions in the Diocese, such as St. Peter's Hospital in Albany, were not affected by the mandate because they are self-insured and write their own policies.

However, she said, the insurance companies did not grant the exemption. The Diocese was then forced to sign its health insurance contracts under formal protest.

"Obviously, we want to provide health care for our employees, but this is an issue of religious freedom, a matter of conscience," Sister Maureen stated.

'Slippery slope'

Sister Maureen noted that new employees of the Catholic Church have always been told in their orientation that the Church does not cover contraception in its health insurance.

The director called the new law "very frightening," saying it was forcing religious employers down "the proverbial slippery slope" toward not being able to abide by their religious principles.

"It's a deterioration of our ability to exercise who we are as Church in life issues," she stated. "We have every reason to think this is just the beginning."

Supporting bill

One unfortunate side-effect of the lawsuit, she added, is that the Church is being characterized as being against the entire Women's Health and Wellness Act. It includes coverage by insurers of mammograms, cervical cancer screenings and bone density tests.

"We support every aspect of that bill except the issue of contraceptives," she said. "The Church has been accused of not supporting women's health, and that's totally wrong. We lobbied for the bill, with an exception. They were not willing to compromise on that very small issue."

Plaintiffs hope that the oral arguments result in a freeze on requiring contraceptive coverage until the lawsuit is settled. If that doesn't happen, the Church may have to pay for contraception for the foreseeable future.

(9/18/03) [[In-content Ad]]