IN THEORY:

The U.S. Supreme Court this week refused to hear an appeal on a ruling that forces religious-based social service agencies like Catholic Charities to subsidize birth-control benefits even when the denomination opposes the use of contraceptives.

“If the state can compel church entities to subsidize contraceptives in violation of their religious beliefs, it can compel them to subsidize abortions as well,” the religious groups requesting the appeal from the high court argued. “And if it can compel church entities to subsidize abortions, it can require hospitals owned by churches to provide them.”

What do you think of this court ruling?

Employers do not have the right to force their particular values and opinions on all of their employees. Prescription benefits available to employees should cover the drugs that their doctors prescribe.

No one should be denied any of their general rights simply because an employer disapproves of some particular, but perfectly legal procedure or medicine. Practicing religion should be a personal thing and each person should be able to follow his or her own desires in such matters.

Jerry Parks

Member

Humanist Assn. of Orange County

Agencies that offer non-religious services to the public and are staffed by people from different faiths should be required to provide the same healthcare benefits as any other employer, regardless of whether they are sponsored by a religious organization.

Specific laws were passed to stop insurers from excluding coverage of procedures that affect the health of women: mammography, cervical cancer screenings, bone density exams and contraception.

These laws do not apply to churches, seminaries and other religious institutions insofar as they provide primarily religious services and the recipients are members of their faith.

I believe public laws governing contraception, emergency contraception, sterilization and abortion should also apply to church-sponsored hospitals if the hospitals serve the general public and receive public funds.

Rev. Dr. Deborah Barrett

Zen Center of Orange County

Costa Mesa

This case is not about a faith-based group using taxpayer dollars. It is about people of faith spending their own dollars to benefit everyone regardless of their faith.

Requiring these faith groups to violate their beliefs in order to serve the community will only push the faith community out of serving the community publicly and serve underground.

The government has proven it can’t run hospitals effectively, but pushing out the faith community would force them to take up the slack.

Do they really want to do that? Should Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian or St. Joseph’s become a state hospital like King Drew Medical Center?

What about the soup kitchens and homeless shelters? What about the job training centers, after-school tutoring centers, and disaster-relief programs. That dog better look at the hand it is biting.

Though I don’t agree with the Roman Catholic Church’s view on contraceptives, I do believe this is a 1st Amendment issue, and I stand with them.

Ric Olsen

Lead Pastor,

The Beacon