Religious Leaders Speak Up In Support Of Obamacare’s Birth Control Coverage

[ProSense]

Religious Leaders Speak Up In Support Of Obamacare’s Birth Control Coverage

By Tara Culp-Ressler

As the Supreme Court prepares to hear two religious challenges to Obamacare’s birth control provision, it may appear that battle lines are drawn in the sand between faith communities and secular interests. But that’s actually somewhat of a false dichotomy. Not all religious groups are opposed to contraceptive coverage — and some are actually speaking up in favor of it, urging the nation’s highest court to rule in favor of the health law.

A group of 45 religious leaders have signed onto a letter in support of birth control coverage, pointing out that the two for-profit companies challenging Obamacare don’t speak for all people of faith. Although Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood are arguing that extending birth control coverage to workers is a violation of their religious liberty, the letter’s signatories point out that isn’t how that concept has traditionally been defined.

“Religious freedom means that each individual has the right to exercise their own beliefs and the right not to have others’ beliefs forced upon them,” the faith leaders write. “No single religious voice can speak for all faith traditions on contraception, nor should government take sides on religious differences. We call on our government to respect the beliefs and values of everyone’s faith by safeguarding equal access to contraception for those whose conscience leads them to use it.”

The Reverend Debra W. Haffner, the president of the Religious Institute and the primary coordinator behind the recent sign-on letter, said it’s a “myth” that people of faith don’t support family planning. “It is precisely because as faith leaders we know that life is sacred, that we believe that every woman must be able to plan her pregnancies intentionally without governmental interference and without her employer in her bedroom,” Haffner noted in a statement released on Tuesday. “We pray the U.S. Supreme Court is listening.”

- more -

http://thinkprogress.org/health/2014/03/19/3416214/religious-groups-birth-control-coverage/

[Wounded Bear]

1. I think we've known that there are progressive religious people out there...

We've just been waiting to hear from them. Good to see them speaking to the Supreme Court.

[Cirque du So-What]

2. “Religious freedom means...

...that each individual has the right to exercise their own beliefs and the right not to have others’ beliefs forced upon them”

Absolutely GD right, and if the SC finds otherwise, it's time to consider impeachment against the individual justices responsible for such a travesty.

[ProSense]

3. Kick! n/t