Statement on Insurance Mandate for Contraceptive Services
August, 2009
Reproduced with permission
Wisconsin Catholic Conference
Nowhere does the Constitution say that the right of conscience is protected except in matters related to human reproduction. Nor does it limit the scope of religious freedom to tenets that conform to a party platform or to the agenda of powerful interest groups.
Dear brothers and sisters,
We are writing to you to share our deep concern
about a provision in the new state budget that
requires providers of health insurance to include
contraceptive services as a "mandated benefit."
This mandate will compel Catholic dioceses,
parishes, and other agencies that buy health
insurance to pay for a medical service that Catholic
teaching holds to be gravely immoral. Contraception
prevents the full and reciprocal self-giving that is
essential to Christian marriage and diminishes the
role of God, the giver of life, within marriage.
Only dioceses or agencies that are self insured,
such as La Crosse and Superior, are not covered by
this mandate.
As Catholic teachers and pastors, we strongly
object to this blatant insensitivity to our moral
values and legal rights.
Other states have similar requirements to include
contraceptive services as a mandated benefit.
Wisconsin, however, is now one of only a few states
where the mandate fails to accommodate those whose
religious or moral values are compromised by it.
This mandate violates not just our religious
values, but also our constitutional rights. The
right of conscience established in the Wisconsin
Constitution protects the minority from the
majority. That is to say, it protects all of us. For
in our pluralistic society, every person, whatever
his or her faith, is a member of a religious
minority.
The constitutional right to religious freedom
embraces more than just the right to hold private
beliefs and affirm personal values. Such freedom
also includes the ability to bear public witness to
our values - by what we do and what we decline to
do. It is such witness that changes hearts and
transforms culture.
Nowhere does the Constitution say that the right
of conscience is protected except in matters related
to human reproduction. Nor does it limit the scope
of religious freedom to tenets that conform to a
party platform or to the agenda of powerful interest
groups.
As citizens, we also object to the manner in
which this law was adopted. Mandates of this kind
deserve open debate and due deliberation. This
mandate received neither. Processes consistent with
open government permit competing arguments at public
hearings. This process did not.
As we assess our options to contest this policy,
we will continue to provide affordable access to
quality health care for all who work for the Church.
Whatever course we pursue in this matter, we want
all Catholics in Wisconsin to know that we will also
continue to affirm and communicate the teachings of
our faith. No legislation can repeal or annul our
commitment to upholding the dignity of human life
and the means by which each life is conceived.
We know that many of you find the teaching of our
faith on contraception difficult to accept or live
out in practice. As pastors and teachers, we find
our conviction much reinforced because artificial
contraception is not, in the first place, a
"Catholic issue." Rather, the prohibition of
artificial contraception is a principle of the
natural moral law, which is inscribed in the mind
and heart of all human beings. The bond between
husband and wife, in their inseparable love-making
and life creating Vocation, is evident to human
reason itself - another powerful consideration which
should lead our legislators to take very seriously
our conviction. Many fail to recognize the truth of
our conviction, not because they are irrational, but
because, in our day and age, the fashionable
proposition that there is no objective truth renders
human reason itself directionless.
And so, it is incumbent on us as pastors and
teachers to keep engaging you in charity. We commit
ourselves to continue listening to your objections
and to explaining the Church's understanding of
human sexuality in such a manner that you may
discover a greater understanding and appreciation of
this teaching and the reasons for it.
This is no different from our ongoing efforts to
help you form your consciences on opposition to the
death penalty, justice for immigrants, and ethical
approaches to economics.
Sometimes, the Catholic Church's teaching can
seem overly restrictive of human freedom. In
reality, however, this teaching serves a greater
freedom, not only for us as individuals, but also
for society.
Our faith always challenges us. We are measured
by how we respond to those challenges. We ask for
your support and prayers as we respond to this one.
May God bless you all,
The Most Rev. David L. Ricken
Bishop of Green Bay
The Most Rev. Robert C. Morlino
Bishop of Madison
The Most Rev. Jerome E. Listecki
Bishop of La Crosse
The Most Rev. Peter F. Christensen
Bishop of Superior
The Most Rev. William P. Callahan
Archdiocesan Administrator
Archdiocese of Milwaukee