Catholic Bishops to Biden: What You Called a Fact Is Not, In Fact, a Fact

Nominally Catholic Joe Biden gets a rap on the knuckles from the bishops.

BIDEN:With regard to the assault on the Catholic Church, let me make it absolutely clear. No religious institution—Catholic or otherwise, including Catholic social services, Georgetown hospital, Mercy hospital, any hospital—none has to either refer contraception, none has to pay for contraception, none has to be a vehicle to get contraception in any insurance policy they provide. That is a fact. That is a fact.

This is not a fact. The HHS mandate contains a narrow, four-part exemption for certain “religious employers.” That exemption was made final in February and does not extend to “Catholic social services, Georgetown hospital, Mercy hospital, any hospital,” or any other religious charity that offers its services to all, regardless of the faith of those served.

HHS has proposed an additional “accommodation” for religious organizations like these, which HHS itself describes as “non-exempt.” That proposal does not even potentially relieve these organizations from the obligation “to pay for contraception” and “to be a vehicle to get contraception.” They will have to serve as a vehicle, because they will still be forced to provide their employees with health coverage, and that coverage will still have to include sterilization, contraception, and abortifacients. They will have to pay for these things, because the premiums that the organizations (and their employees) are required to pay will still be applied, along with other funds, to cover the cost of these drugs and surgeries.

Read the rest.

There’s something funny about Democrats that has been making the rounds on Twitter today. During the debate Thursday night Biden vowed that he would not “impose” his personal beliefs regarding abortion on others who disagree. Democrats always say that.

But then they go and impose their personal beliefs regarding health care, regarding demanding who pays for what services on behalf of other adults, and labor policy and a whole lot of other things, on those of us who disagree. When we repeatedly vote against what they want, they either resort to the courts to impose themselves on us, or they just impose their preferred policy by presidential fiat.

Their reluctance to “impose” their alleged personal beliefs on others with regard to abortion is no sign of tolerance. It’s a sign of moral cowardice, and tells us where their real priorities lie.