What Compromise?

I haven been avoiding the brouhaha over Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius mandating that religious institutions (the focus has been on Catholic hospitals and colleges) should provide contraception and abortion coverage in employee health insurance.  The Administration's point being that no one should be exempt from the mandates of the Government (except in the case where someone is an acknowledged minister and thus exempt under the First Amendment, as per a recent SCOTUS ruling).  We looked like we were between a rock and a hard place for a few days and then the Obama Administration announced a compromise.  The MSM praised this in the early hours and it seemed the Roman Catholic Bishops were happy.

However, per Blogger Ed Morrissey, the Catholic Bishops were never consulted on this issue by the Administration.  How do we have a compromise without a consultation.

Thus one aspect of this deal.  When I heard about it I wondered about the cost burden.  The deal was that the institutions didn't have to include it, but the Insurance Companies would provide it free of charge, if the individuals voluntarily applied for it.  My immediate question was about who would cover the cost.  I had already ruled out Pixie Dust and had assumed it would either fall on taxpayers via a tax write-off or on all of us paying for health insurance through some sort of leveling effort.  Turns out I was wrong.  The Insurance Companies are happy to pay for it themselves.  It turns out that the economics make it advantageous to the Insurance Companies.  An abortion is cheaper than a live birth.  Contraception is cheaper than an abortion, with its possible complications.  At least that is the view of Slate's Amanda Marcotte, who says "Obama Punks the GOP on Contraception".

I know that polling suggests that many Roman Catholics, my fellow members of the Church, accept birth control and even abortion.  Thus, we are seen as hypocrites, and so we are, although I would prefer a softer term.  Hypocrite is so harsh.  The thing is, when you set some sort of moral floor you run the risk of falling through.  That is why theree is the sacrament of confession.  I believe Donald Cardinal Wuerl made that point earlier this week.

Turns out this was all about President Obama showing his muscle and courting the pro-abortion forces of the left.  I would like to think my President is doing this because he believes it is the morally right thing to do, but, in fact, I just think of him as being from Chicago.

For two of the above links I have the Althouse blog to thank.

Regards  —  Cliff