{"id":11105,"date":"2012-02-24T07:43:50","date_gmt":"2012-02-24T13:43:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/deaconsbench\/?p=11105"},"modified":"2016-09-30T17:24:32","modified_gmt":"2016-09-30T21:24:32","slug":"when-pigs-fly-the-new-york-times-publishes-an-essay-by-the-ceo-of-ewtn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/deaconsbench\/2012\/02\/when-pigs-fly-the-new-york-times-publishes-an-essay-by-the-ceo-of-ewtn\/","title":{"rendered":"When pigs fly: the New York Times publishes an essay by the CEO of EWTN"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

This<\/a> <\/strong>appeared on Ash Wednesday on the Op Ed page of the New York Times, written by Michael P. Warsaw, President and CEO of EWTN:<\/p>\n

EWTN cannot comply with the recent mandate from the Department of Health and Human Services requiring the insurance plans of all employers, with the exception of some houses of worship, to cover the contraceptives and sterilization procedures approved by the Food and Drug Administration. These include emergency contraceptives like Plan B and Ella that can destroy human embryos \u2014 an act that we consider a violation of church teaching that all life is a sacred gift that begins at conception.<\/p>\n

Earlier this month, in response to widespread opposition to the mandate, the president announced an \u201caccommodation\u201d for some religious organizations \u2014 like, potentially, EWTN \u2014 that would\u00a0shift the responsibility for the coverage<\/a> from the employer to the employer\u2019s insurance carrier. But this would do nothing to solve the problem. First, EWTN self-insures, so we are the insurer. Second, even if we had an outside insurer, we would still be in the untenable position of facilitating access to drugs that go against our beliefs. And if we refused to comply with the directive, we could be hit with annual fines starting at around $600,000.<\/p>\n

The administration\u2019s supporters say that by opposing the rule, religious employers like EWTN are guilty of trying to coerce our employees and impose our values on them. But we are simply choosing not to participate in the use of these drugs. Our 350 employees, many of whom are not Catholic, freely choose to work here and can purchase and use contraception if they want to. They are aware of the values we practice, and I hear regularly from Catholic and non-Catholic employees alike how much they love working for an organization that is defined by its Catholic beliefs \u2014 beliefs that we think result in a better workplace and more expansive benefits over all.<\/p>\n

Instead, it is the government \u2014 which does not accept EWTN\u2019s religious choice and can punish that choice by imposing fines \u2014 that is coercing us. But under the Constitution and federal religious liberties law, we cannot be forced to give up our beliefs as the price of participation in the public square. That is why the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty hasfiled a lawsuit<\/a> on our behalf seeking to overturn this illegal mandate.<\/p>\n

But religious liberty isn\u2019t even the only thing at risk; the mandate also threatens the financial viability of any organization that disagrees with the administration\u2019s politics. They could be forced to stop offering health insurance and be saddled with fines, which are immense competitive disadvantages. They\u2019ll have to take money away from their core missions to pay fines. They\u2019ll lose employees who can\u2019t afford to work for employers who offer no health insurance. They\u2019ll lose donors who are scared off by the penalties.<\/p>\n

The end result: organizations that agree with the administration or are willing to compromise their beliefs will thrive. Organizations that don\u2019t will shrink or die.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Read it all. <\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This appeared on Ash Wednesday on the Op Ed page of the New York Times, written by Michael P. Warsaw, President and CEO of EWTN: EWTN cannot comply with the recent mandate from the Department of Health and Human Services requiring the insurance plans of all employers, with the exception of some houses of worship, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":132,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25,29,43],"tags":[329],"class_list":["post-11105","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-journalism","category-media","category-pro-life","tag-ewtn"],"yoast_head":"\nWhen pigs fly: the New York Times publishes an essay by the CEO of EWTN<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"This appeared on Ash Wednesday on the Op Ed page of the New York Times, written by Michael P. 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