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PDF versionGuidelines on Women's Health Issued
by Michael Sean Winters on Jul. 20, 2011
The National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine has recommended that certain forms of birth control should be among the mandated services offered in basic health insurance plans under the new health care reform law.
The recommendations were made to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and have not yet been approved by the government.
Cardinal DiNardo, chair of the USCCB Committee on Pro-Life Activities, has issued a statement denouncing some of the provisions as they relate to contraception, sterilization and abortifacients. "I strongly oppose the Institute of Medicine's recommendation today that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) mandate coverage of three particular practices in almost all private health plans: surgical sterilization; all FDA-approved birth control (including the IUD, 'morning-after' pills, and the abortion-inducing drug Ella); and 'education and counseling' promoting these among all 'women of reproductive capacity,'" DiNardo said.
I will have a longer essay on this tomorrow morning. It raises very large issues for Catholic health care.
The reason that the Bishops
The reason that the Bishops should have played nicer is to be able to count on the support of liberal Catholics when such issues as this come up. Not sure I feel like backing their play on Ella, although I probably will. However, they are simply wrong on sterilization and contraception - since these work before gastrulation and cannot be considered equivalent to abortion (unlike Ella).
The Church's stance on contraception works best when it sticks to economic empowerment issues for the poor, who should not have to resort to birth control to secure their economic well being. It does not do so well when it takes a stand against contraception that is medically indicated because the woman should not get pregnant. Their suggested practice of natural family planning lessens the power of its economic message and is inadequate to the health needs of women whose lives may be in jeapordy if they become pregnant.
it would appear that Cardinal
it would appear that Cardinal DiNardo would like to second guess doctors on issues of gynecology. He semes to want to keep women barefoot and pregnant. No one is going to listen to him anyway.
It's about time that MOST of
It's about time that MOST of these bishop realize that "no one is going to listem to (them) anyway."
They need to spend about the next 40 years building credibility. I say building and not rebuilding because if one looks at history, they had none. All they had was fear, power and control - which are NOT credibility.
Which is why we have such a
Which is why we have such a healthy society of fornicators, unfaithful spouses, abortionists, and abused children.
We found that natural family
We found that natural family planning, as the Church advocated in the 1950's, worked perfectly from its perspective. We had five children in 4 /2 years. Then we realized that the church fathers knew not what they were advocating. And still don't.
The Church is just plain
The Church is just plain wrong on the question of artificial birth control and sterilization. If my daughter were raped, I would ask her if she wanted the "morning after" pill - so I am not even sure I agree on that one.
There have to be standards. We can't have wholesale differences in health insurance coverage that leave people open to NOT being able to care for their health in ways that doctors recommend. If they have the coverage, they can always say "no" to birth control or a blood transfusion, something that some faiths don't hold with. If people don't even have the coverage, they don't have a choice.
Trying to accommodate all the faith differences in what should or should not be included in health insurance coverage is a nightmare waiting to happen. We won't know all the hidden questions we would have to ask to find out if our employers health insurance, or some private health insurance policy we were looking into, even covered things that most people consider basic.
Planned Parenthood 1
Planned Parenthood 1 Catholic Church 0
Big Pharma 10 Tax payer 0
Pregnancy is a self-inflicted
Pregnancy is a self-inflicted injury and, as such, not covered by private health insurance.
(Tee hee)
As a woman, I would like to
As a woman, I would like to have the right not to be mandated to pay for erectile dysfunction drugs in my health care plan. I'm not holding my breath that I'll get too far with my desire.
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