Black Community News News and Commentary for Christians
The Trump administration issued new rules last October to protect employers from government penalties for rejecting the Obamacare’s contraception mandate. Some drugs could induce abortions, and certain employers have religious or moral objections to offering employees’ health insurance policies that include such pills and devices.
HHS, and the Departments of Treasury and Labor finalized the rules on Thursday (emphasis added).
In October 2017, the Trump Administration issued two interim final rules providing an exemption for those who had sincerely held religious or moral objections to such coverage, while seeking public comment on the rules. The first of today’s final rules provides an exemption from the contraceptive coverage mandate to entities that object to services covered by the mandate on the basis of sincerely held religious beliefs. The second final rule provides protections to nonprofit organizations and small businesses that have non-religious moral convictions opposing services covered by the mandate. The religious and moral exemptions provided by these rules also apply to institutions of education, issuers, and individuals. The Departments are not extending the moral exemption to publicly traded businesses, or either exemption to government entities.
Star Parker, founder and president of the Center for Urban Renewal and Education, wrote an op-ed about this issue last October. An excerpt:
“We now have, in this new blanket release for employers with religious and moral objections, an important and meaningful step toward reviving and restoring the integrity of our precious religious freedom, under siege now for years.
…
“Let’s recall that the preamble to the U.S. Constitution says that the point of the whole effort is ‘to secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity.’
“Is there anyone that could possibly believe that among these ‘blessings of liberty’ is government mandating employers to buy birth control devices and pills for their employees? And that if they don’t, women are forced ‘to pay for their boss’s religious beliefs’?
“Dripping with irony, and absurdity, is the insistence of these same feminists and left-wing activists that government stay out of our bedrooms, while they are more than glad for government to force our employers into our bedrooms, as long as they show up with their checkbook.”
The U.S. Department of Justice created the Religious Liberty Task Force in July to protect religious individuals and groups whose beliefs conflict with government regulations, namely, killing the unborn and performing genital mutilation surgery (“gender reassignment.”)
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Memo to users of birth control and abortion: according to the US Supreme Court, it’s your choice. Since I find both choices immoral, why should I pay for them? Pay for your own @#$% choices.
I agree with this, partially. I don’t believe taxpayers and employers should have to pay for elective procedures such as abortion. “Plan B” you can buy over the counter so there’s no need for employers to provide it. However, I am all for preventing pregnancy in the first place if a woman is not ready to have a child. I can’t see what religious or moral objection anyone would have to providing birth control. To avoid even having to think about whether to have an abortion or have a child she and her husband or boyfriend may not be quite ready for, I think birth control should be offered. If a woman is not married or in a committed relationship, self-control, ideally, is the best. Barring that, condoms should always be used. However, if she is married or in a committed relationship, working and it’s not the right time for a child, then birth control should be available if her employer offers health insurance. It’s been ages since I’ve needed it, but I don’t think birth control is that expensive. It’s a small benefit to offer one’s female employees.
I definitely would love to see that foul organization, Planned Parenthood, that was founded by a eugenicist who wanted to exterminate my race, and everyone else she felt was “unfit”, defunded and put out of business. That’s not the only clinic in town that can provide women’s health services. If the Left cared about how Black people felt they’d do that instead of wasting time and causing chaos tearing down historical monuments. Statues don’t bother me. Planned Parenthood does.