The government ought to subsidize abstinence, or at least force health insurers to do so. The mandate from HHS tells us that contraceptives and sterilization procedures qualify as “preventive medicine” that must be covered by all health insurance plans. Thus we can deduce that pregnancy is a disease which the state has a vested interest in preventing. If this is true, there is no surer... More

Good news out of Britain, via the UK Telegraph: Photo: www.Franciscan.eduThe case is believed to be the first in which the Equality Act has been used successfully to defend a “pro-life” position as a philosophical belief and could have implications for other Christian medical staff. The nurses, who are both from overseas and do not wish to be identified, were moved from their normal nursing d... More

Great day for freedom. Here’s the Associated Press with the breaking news: A federal appeals court panel on Friday struck down the requirement in President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul package that virtually all Americans must carry health insurance or face penalties. The divided three-judge panel of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals struck down the so-called individual mandat... More

Welcome to the Lunchtime Reader, where we assemble important stories to keep your eyes on. David Rivkin, Jr., and Lee Casey are the lead attorneys representing 26 states challenging the constitutionality of Obamacare in the federal courts. They state in the WSJ: “The government’s lawyers keep changing their arguments as each one is exposed as constitutionally suspect.” One of th... More

Are Catholic hospitals like the religion-free "Sacred Heart Hospital" on “Scrubs”? The Catholic identity confusion in higher education led to Ex Corde Ecclesiae … which sowed the seeds of today’s (still early) springtime in Catholic colleges. Here are 10 reasons why, today, thinkers like these are so focused on health care as the next big Catholic identity battle. 10. Errant Cath... More

Welcome to the Lunchtime Reader, where we assemble important stories to keep your eyes on. The controversial Wisconsin law signed by Gov. Scott Walker that dealt with collective bargaining rights for state employees was struck down by Dane County Judge MaryAnn Sumi, reports the Wisconsin State Journal. The law is effectively dead until the Wisconsin Supreme Court decides on it or if the Legislat... More

“If you want to gain favor from President Obama, be a bad catholic.” That personal observation gained even more credibility last week when President Obama announced the new makeup of his Council for Faith-Based Partnerships (ph/t: Badger Catholic). The only Catholic he appointed to this council is Sister Marlene Weisenbeck, former president of the Leadership Conference of Women Religio... More

Matt Bowman has already done a good job highlighting the key parts of the recent decision handed down in Florida declaring Obamacare’s individual mandate to be unconstitutional. Allow me to add a footnote: “… while the state of Florida is arguing against the individual mandate, the requirement that individuals who can afford it be required to purchase health insurance or pay a ... More

Update: CHW responds to our social campaign in support of +Olmsted Bishop Thomas Olmsted of Phoenix is refusing to allow a Catholic hospital under his care to continue ignoring Church teaching: The Catholic bishop of Phoenix will strip St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center of its Catholic status on Friday if the hospital’s parent company, Catholic Healthcare West, does not meet ... More

As the President signed the Health Care Reform bill into law, the USCCB issued the following statement. Full statement: For nearly a century, the Catholic bishops of the United States have called for reform of our health care system so that all may have access to the care that recognizes and affirms their human dignity. Christian discipleship means, “working to ensure that all people have access... More