The Grand Poobah of the Vermont Chapter of Boys R’ Us, The Most Reverend Bishop Matano, joins in the sanctimonious groan over the recent Health & Human Services ruling that private health plans must provide basic family planning coverage.
“[…] this grave matter, […] strikes at the fundamental right to religious liberty for all citizens of any faith. By its ruling, the Administration has cast aside the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, denying Catholics our Nation’s first and most fundamental freedom, that of religious liberty, and compelling an individual to violate his or her conscience.”
Really, Father? As I read the ruling, nobody is being compelled to get sterilized or hop on the pill. But just as your personal superstition compels you to remain celibate, it surely is up to the conscience of the members of your cult *not* to use condoms or get sterilized in keeping with your instructions. The new ruling denies nobody nothing whatsoever; on the contrary, it increases individual freedom at your expense, making it that much harder for you to force your medieval mindset upon your gullible flock through your control over so much more than just the settings on their moral compass.
And so, while your cult-run hospitals may for now sadly still be alllowed to deny basic compassion and care to e.g. rape victims, the new ruling at least prevents you from messing with other people’s lives via their medical insurance. That’s not an infringement of your 1st Amendment rights, it’s a long overdue assertion of the 1st Amendmend rights of the individuals who are unfortunate enough to be under your spell.
