Seth Warren

From KDKA:

Catholic Bishop David Zubik used strong words today to describe his unhappiness at the Obama Administration.

The issue is over whether Catholic-run institutions should be required to offer their employees an insurance plan that covers contraceptives.

In a personal column in the Pittsburgh Catholic newspaper, Zubik accused the Obama Administration of saying to all Catholics, “To Hell with you.”

To his long-winded and self-pitying diatribe I have only this to say to Bishop David Zubik: to hell with YOU!

I can barely contain my rage in reading a piece where Zubik dares to invoke the First Amendment's establishment of freedom of speech to undermine it's equally important separation of church and state. I'll be the first to criticize the Obama administration for its failings, but in telling the Catholic Church that it is not allowed to force its rigid and outdated ideology on employees of their institutions they have my unwavering support. Just because someone is employed by a Catholic institution does not necessarily mean that the employee in question follows the faith; as such, they should not be oppressed by its dogmas. Even those of the Catholic faith should have the choice as to which matters of church doctrine they adhere to. The salient point being this: it is a personal decision which should be free from the shackles of predetermination. If there is a god who gives each individual free will, then what right does any mere mortal have to claim dominion over another?

I am a strident proponent of separation of church and state. By contrast, Zubik is obviously just another little man advancing the Catholic church's best efforts to break down that barrier (to which they've had degrees of varying success throughout the history of the United States). While he claims that refusing to provide contraceptives and so-called abortifactants is a matter of conscience, he completely and conveniently ignores the way workplace-driven health insurance actually functions in the United States. Workplace health insurance plans are actually bulk deals which allow multiple people (the employees) to purchase health insurance at a far discounted rate from what each would be paying as an individual. As the insurance plan is ultimately purchased by the employee via a paycheque deduction, neither Zubik nor any other Catholic employers need to worry about the blood of aborted fetuses nor the stain of wasted seed upon their hands. Once more: it is all up to the conscience of the individual - and just because a good Catholic has access to contraception does not mean he or she is being forced to partake. I do believe there are several passages in the Bible regarding temptation.

To drive the point home - it is not about free speech or conscience or even the Obama administration insulting Catholics; Bishop David Zubik's heavy-handed and misguided diatribe is about one thing and one thing alone: control. For centuries the Catholic church has attempted to maintain control over the bodies and souls of not only those in their flock, but those outside of it as well - particularly those with two X chromosomes. If President Obama well and truly did say, "to hell with you" to the Catholic church and their attempts to advance their theocracy in the United States then I applaud him. Were I more theologically inclined, I might even say that there is a special hell for Zubik and his ilk - those myopic malcontents who would oppress us under the ludicrous notion that their rights were being violated.

Again, Bishop David Zubik: to hell with YOU!