Bishops shift ground

In
a response to complaints from Catholic leaders, last week the Obama
administration revised its rule requiring some religious institutions to
include birth control in health insurance. The new stance was welcomed by some
Catholic organizations, including the
Catholic Health Association but was firmly
rejected by the Catholic bishops--who in doing so shifted the ground
of their own argument.

The Century editors had endorsed the bishops' original
concern. While rejecting the bishops' opposition to birth control, the editors
agreed that religious institutions that object to contraceptives on religious
grounds should not be forced to pay for them. A broader exemption was called
for to allow Catholic hospitals and universities to remain true to their
beliefs.

The
administration's revised position is that employees who work for religious
institutions that object to contraceptive coverage will have to contract with
insurance companies directly if they want to add contraceptives to their health
plan.