Steven W. Mosher: Sorry, Mr. Vice President, That Is Not a Fact

By Steven W. Mosher
10/16/2012
Population Research Institute (www.pop.org)

In disputing Biden's assertions, the bishops' conference pointed out that the mandate has but a very narrow exemption for religious employers

Biden's claim that Catholic-inspired charities like Population Research Institute are not being forced to fund abortifacient contraceptives and sterilizations is simply not true.

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FRONT ROYAL, VA. (Population Research Institute) - For me, the most jaw-dropping moment of the vice presidential debate came when Vice President Joe Biden asserted that Obamacare's contraception mandate simply did not exist. Said the VP:

"With regard to the assault on the Catholic Church, let me make it absolutely clear. No religious institution - Catholic or otherwise, including Catholic social services, Georgetown hospital, Mercy hospital, any hospital - none has to either refer contraception, none has to pay for contraception, none has to be a vehicle to get contraception in any insurance policy they provide. That is a fact."

My wife, who was watching the debate with me, can attest to the fact that I just about jumped out of my chair. "That is a blatant lie!" I exclaimed. "PRI will have to either buy insurance that covers contraception, sterilization, or abortion-inducing drugs, or we will have to go on the Obamacare plan that does. We are damned if we do and damned if we don't!"

Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan, who was much calmer during the debate than either Joe Biden or myself, also objected. He pointed out that the American bishops are so unhappy with having their faith and their conscience violated in this way that they are suing the Obama administration.

And it wasn't long after the October 11th debate in Danville, Kentucky, that the American bishops themselves responded to Biden's whopper. In fact, they issued a statement the very next day, criticizing the V.P. for making an "inaccurate statement of fact" about the contraceptive mandate's impact on religious institutions.

Over the past few months, more than 100 plaintiffs, from Catholic and non-Catholic universities, to charitable organizations and private businesses - have filed lawsuits challenging the mandate, arguing that it infringes upon their constitutional right to free exercise of religion.

In disputing Biden's assertions, the bishops' conference pointed out that the mandate has but a very narrow exemption for religious employers. This exemption applies only to non-profit organizations that exist primarily for the inculcation of religious values and both employ and serve primarily members of their own faith.

Therefore, the conference said, any religious charities, hospitals and social agencies that serve all people of any faith - including Georgetown Hospital and the other organizations named by Biden, as well as the Population Research Institute - are simply not covered.

The administration has been talking about making an additional "accommodation" for non-exempt religious organizations like PRI, but this turns out upon examination to be nothing more than an accounting gimmick. PRI and like-minded organizations would still have to pay for sterilization, contraception, and abortifacients indirectly, through increased premiums.

The bishops' conference continues to ask the Obama administration "in the strongest possible terms" to take action that truly removes "the various infringements on religious freedom imposed by the mandate." As do we at PRI.

But it may turn out that the only real solution to the problem is to remove Obamacare - with its mandates, rationing, and death panels - itself.
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Steven W. Mosher is the President of the Population Research Institute.

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PRI is a 501(c)(3) educational organization. We work to reverse the trends brought about by the myth of overpopulation. Our growing, global network of pro-life groups spans over 30 countries. To date, we have successfully eliminated $790 million in U.S. tax dollars to International Planned Parenthood, UNFPA, and other anti-life aboritionists while redirecting much of this to family friendly programs like Child Survival.

See our current project.

Donate now to directly affect the lives and well-being of mothers and children around the world.

Keywords: HHS Mandate, Sebelius, religious freedom, religious liberty, abortion, abortifacient, contraceptive, Bishops, Population Research Institute, Steven W. Mosher

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1 - 5 of 5 Comments

JoAnn
8 months ago
mgm: Spoken like a true liberal. The statement about the 47% was no more a put down than I am the pope. I watched it, I heard it, he spoke the truth. 47% of people in this country will vote for Obama because they like the free stuff. Trying to say that includes senior citizens is absolutely false because SS has been bought and paid for by the seniors and they ARE entitled to it. 47 million people are on food stamps. That's way up since Obama took office. FREEDOM OR FREE STUFF? That's the question and if people are getting FREE STUFF, they will vote for the FREE STUFF everytime, period. The liberals have created a monster. Because of their obsession with money and power, they have taught people to depend on the government and not on their own ingenuity. They have been taught that the world owes them a living and do not think that they have to contribute anything for the betterment of their country. One wise man once said "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." John F Kennedy Ever since Woodrow Wilson, the liberals have turned this country into a "Nanny state" and it is hard to find people with any self respect, let alone any respect for anyone else. God bless.
James Alfonso de Martinez y Tafoya
8 months ago
Very much like St. Ignatius of Antioch (Oct 17) who was transported in chains into the gladiator rink to be devoured and eaten by lions, it is rather unfortunate that our faith has to be dragged into politics. Both political parties are in error - great error! Voting for one is no less evil than the other. For this election, I am using my conscience and making my choice from reading from the following scriptures : Matthew 5: 1-48 & Matthew 25: 1-46 These are litmus tests that I will use of how either party has managed and preserved or destroyed ALL aspects of life and resources not just the unborn.
mgm.
8 months ago
The fact that the right-wing and this web-page is still harping on Biden shows he did a good job in the debate .I sure tonight the President will not let Romney's put down of 47% of his countrymen.be forgotten like Biden reminded America of Ryan's comments that 30 % of Americans are dead beats .
Paul-Emile Leray
8 months ago
Does everyone have their popcorn, salt and butter, and carbonated colored sugared intestine-inflating soda drink out for the upcoming stooge act on the stage at the SOPHISTRY SYMPOSIUM STADIUM? What lies, through omission or commission, will these bad actors in politics try feeding us next? I hope cardinals, archbishops, bishops, start LAZERING them more.
1. The current political stage needs to be sunk into quicksand.
2. If the next set of actors is no better, then push the eject button and have the entire stage send them flying into the walls like mosquitos suddenly hit by strong winds.
3. What tornadoes do to cows, one can also do with politicians while controlling the speed of wind velocity as well. It is also possible to have the political cows sitting right on top of the tornado and then suddenly stop the wind thereby seeing them drop down to the ground with their hooves deeply planted into 4 gopher holes. LAZER their sophistry and lies in half, incessantly. Politicians are some of the most VILE people on the planet and democracies often bring forth the worst since to rise in democracies one must be a master sophist and politically expedient hoop and loop jumping poll gazing sheople barometer quasi make-shift analyst who then mirrors it right back to those hoping to be dazzled by some sort of guru. The guru? There are NONE, in most cases. The gurus are making money by passing themselves off as being gurus. The gurus are often more lost than their disciples. And Jesus told the Pharisees to pound sand, in his own words, did he not?
Paul-Emile Leray
BAR
8 months ago
Unfortunately, by referring to this lie as an "inaccurate statement of fact," it comes of as being innocuous or merely a faux pas on Vice President Biden's part. We seem too concerned with political correctness these days and have difficulty stating it as it truly is, a bald-faced lie.

If it was not for Catholic Online, many would not have read any of this, since secular news outlets are very slanted in their coverage, particularly when it involves Church issues. People who watched the debate may have just assumed his statements were true; many, including Catholics, probably still do. The Church needs to do all it can to get the message out using unambigious language.

Thank you Catholic Online for your coverage of this and all issues.

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