Commentary by Sanford D. Horn
May 23, 2012
The Indianapolis Star
smartly printed “Notre Dame joins suit over birth control” (May 23, 2012)
written by AP’s Rachel Zoll.
With 42 other Catholic entities joining Notre Dame in a
lawsuit to preserve religious freedom, this is not a local news item, but
instead a national defining moment regarding the Constitutional rights not just
of Catholics, but of all people of faith in the United States.
Yet, in spite of this national Constitutional issue, the
national network news outlets remained virtually silent as they are deeply in
the tank for the Obama administration. This story was ignored by ABC and NBC,
and CBS devoted a mere 19 seconds to it according to Bill O’ Reilly on the Fox
News Channel (May 23).
If birth control is thrust upon Catholic institutions
counter to Church tenets, what will be next? Will ritual slaughter pertaining
to the Jewish dietary laws of Kashrut be banned by the government as cruel to
the animals, when it is in fact just the opposite in accordance with Jewish law?
Another sterling example of the deleterious effects the
Obama mandate is already having on institutions connected to faith is a
decision made by The Franciscan University, located in Steubenville, OH, to
discontinue its student health care coverage. It will no longer require health
insurance of fulltime undergraduate students, nor will it offer a student
health insurance plan.
Franciscan’s basic cost of $600 to cover a student would
double in the upcoming school year and then triple in 2013 all thanks to
Obamacare. It is unconscionable to force students to purchase something they
cannot afford. The university’s decision could be an important factor for
potential future students when choosing a college to attend.
Currently, Franciscan students may receive “cheap basic
medical care,” without insurance for $5 a visit, and are on their own for
anything more, according to Beltway
Confidential (May 15). The school’s current plan expires August 15, 2012.
Obamacare requires insurance coverage for contraception,
sterilization and abortions, currently not covered at Franciscan. “We will not
participate in a plan that requires us to violate the consistent teachings of
the Catholic Church on the sacredness of human life,” according to Beltway Confidential.
Such assaults on religious freedoms bring to mind the
famous quote by Martin Niemoller (1892-1984), a German Protestant pastor and
outspoken foe of Hitler.
“First
they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out –
Because I
was not a Socialist.Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out –
Because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out –
Because I was not a Jew.
Then
they came for me – and there was no one left to speak for me.”
The government has no business interfering in religion in
the United States – and the Constitution supports this notion. “Congress shall
make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free
exercise thereof…” (Amendment I).
By imposing his liberal, secular schemes on the rank and
file of America, Obama is not only attempting to circumvent the Constitution,
but turn this into a modern day civil rights issue as a manner in which to
cajole votes from women.
Obama must be stopped, the left-wing, mainstream media
must stop carrying his water on this issue and actually tell the truth, and the
Constitution must be upheld by preventing this administration from forcibly
destroying centuries of religious dicta.
Sanford D. Horn is
a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN.
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