Recently, we have seen a small scale war of words between the Catholic church and the American political system. First, future Cardinal of New York City Timothy Dolan and President Barack Obama have a problem. And then the Pope takes a swipe at Obama. And, now, there's a petition against portions of Obamacare that mandate the Catholic church pay for health insurance that covers abortion, sterilization, and all the other things Obamacare is mandating.
In short, the primary problem is that, the end of the day, President Obama and his White House call themselves pro-choice, even though they have taken every choice away from those people who take an ethical stance against all of the above.
At which point, a casual observer is probably wondering: why is the Catholic church so against abortion? And contraceptives? .
The answer is the principle of natural law. If you are not familiar with this concept, it is relatively simple. The nature of a thing dictates its purpose and its moral use...
Basically, it's like food with "all natural ingredients." Natural is considered a good thing. In the case of artificial body parts (eg: plastic heart valves), this too is considered natural, because that part is being used in support of a natural function.
Let's start even simpler. A gun is defined as a weapon that fires a specific kind of projectile a certain way at its target. If it fires, and hits the target aimed for, it is a good gun. If a trained sniper could not use it to hit the broadside of a barn, it is a bad gun -- its nature is out of kilter. This involves the quality of the gun, not whether or not guns are illegal, or a good idea to own.
In the case of sex, how does it naturally work? Looking at the two primary body parts involved, one can make some simple deductions; sex is for pleasure and procreation. If you add a condom, it takes out one part of the equation, artificially removing a natural part of sex. In the case of "the pill," it acts by affecting the body's natural biochemical functions. It disrupts the way things should be.
Now, one can make an argument that the pill is used for other things. As Ann Margaret Lewis, Catholic author, noted on her Facebook page,
... some women have to take birth control pills to treat specific medical issues. I have one of those illnesses that some OBGYNs try to treat with such pills (Polycystic Ovaries--though it really only makes one utterly infertile in the end) and perhaps having a genuine illness might be a medical exemption (note: for Catholics - if you have to take a medication that makes you infertile to treat a medical problem, it's not immoral). But let me point out that pregnancy is not a disease. It's the way the body is supposed to operate. The use of contraceptives, minus the medical consideration I cited above, is an elective alteration of one's body's natural functions. Sterilization procedures, too. You may think this is all okay, but these things don't heal you - they make your body function in a way other than it should.
Natural law explained quite well.
If one's next objection is to decry the Catholic church "forcing" its beliefs on others, one would be mistaken. A Catholic hospital is not the only hospital in town (assuming there is one in town, they are dying out in New York), and Catholic institutions are not the only employers. However, the the American political system is forcing its beliefs on the Catholic church, with no options whatsoever.
As Ann Lewis also noted, this provision of Obamacare is "like forcing Hindus to buy beef for their employees, or Orthodox Jews to buy pork for theirs, or Muslims and Mormons to purchase alcohol for theirs."
Or, as Timothy Dolan noted,
"The Amish do not carry health insurance. The government respects their principles. Christian Scientists want to heal by prayer alone, and the new health-care reform law respects that. Quakers and others object to killing even in wartime, and the government respects that principle for conscientious objectors. By its decision, the Obama administration has failed to show the same respect for the consciences of Catholics and others who object to treating pregnancy as a disease."
If Obamacare supported euthanasia, would there be a serious outcry from more than just Catholics? This is not a rhetorical question -- Oregon health insurance companies will not pay for heart transplants, but they will pay for a doctor to put their patient down, in a similar manner to a family pet.
As one Catholic blogger put it,
I'm outraged ... And you should be too ... Even if you think contraception is the best thing since sliced bread. Even if you cannot begin to understand the reasons for the Church's teachings. Can't you show me and my faith a little respect? Can't you give us the freedom to live and worship as we wish? Can't you see that employees of Catholic organizations have the option to work someplace else if they want birth control paid for? No one is forcing them to stay. .... It doesn't matter if you don't understand. It doesn't matter if you don't agree. It doesn't matter if you think we're crazy/total whackos/going to hell/hypocritical zealots. What matters is that the government is infringing on our religious liberty in a big, big way.
What makes you think your beliefs aren't next?
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