New York Court Ruling May Force Catholic Group to Fund Abortions

Albany, NY (LifeNews.com) -- The New York Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that Cathoic and other religious social services groups must fund contraception in their employees' healht care plans. The ruling has pro-life advocates worried because it could lead to forcing the Christian groups to fund abortions as well.

Even though the groups are opposed to contraception, the state's high court ruled in a unanimous 6-0 ruling that Catholic Charities and nine other organizations must fund it anyway.

"We must weigh against (their) interests in adhering to the tenets of their faith the state's substantial interest in fostering equality between the sexes, and in providing women with better health care," the court ruled according to an AP report.

The New York Catholic Conference is considering appealing the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court and says it's concerned the decision will lead to forcing it to pay for employee abortions.

When the State attempts to force the Church to violate its own principles, then the Church or its agencies must appeal to higher authorities or, withdraw its funding for its employee health care. It can always elect to offest the elimination of it health care benefit with the funds it would have paid for the employee. Granted, this does put a burden on the employee, but life isn't always easy and sometimes sacrifices are necessary, especially when dealing with a secular state which has little regard for life, let alone faith or religious beliefs.

Much of the blame in this case would appear to fall on Catholic Charities, which chose to employ non-Catholics (or poorly catechized Catholics) in the first place, thereby opening itself up to such attacks. While its hiring policy might have seemed to be "charitable", it wasn't because it lacked the prudence necessary to protect itself from attack. By self-inflicting injury to it's Catholic foundation, it opened itself up to the world in a most negligent manner.

It seems that any Catholic group or agency which wishes to maintain and follow the teachings of the Church in all areas of its private and public endeavors, must, at a minimum, have in place some contractual agreement between itself and its employees to ensure that rejection of any tenets of the faith would be considered just cause for termination of employment.

How soon will it be before Catholic agencies are forced to provide insurance for abortions? Or Catholic hospitals are forced to perform abortions or facilitate euthanasia?

Amendment 1 of the U.S. Constitution states:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;...

Apparently, the Bill of Rights are ignored in cases of this nature.

When 'nanny' or tyrannical states wish to impose unjust requirements which are at odds with the Catholic faith, it would seem to me that an agency must fight and try to change such unjust oppression, or it must stop engaging in the questionable practice or immoral activity (such as the Catholic Charities homosexual adoption decisions), or as a last resort,it must close its doors and try another approach.

Hopefully , U.S. Supreme Court will rule that religious institutions and their agencies are exempt from such laws which coerce actions and policies which are opposed to the beliefs and doctrines of the religious institution, most especially in matters concerning intrinsic evils.