The right wants special privileges for the religious. The constitution grants religious liberty not religious privilege. The supposed oppression brings anguished wails when asked to treat gays and lesbians like any other customer, or religiously motivated pleas for sex-segregated swimming pools. Religious privilege looking for exemptions from laws and regulations that apply to everyone else. The Nuns don’t have to take contraception, nor do they have to remain silent about what they perceive as the evils of contraception. Nor do they have to pay for contraception used by others. But the notion that the government can’t ask them to submit a form confirming their desire to be exempt from a government-mandated health care program expands the concept of religious freedom beyond recognition. The Little Sisters of the Poor already have religious freedom – they are trying to exempt themselves from ordinary responsibilities of civil society, while obstructing their employee’s access to contraception.
The right wants special privileges for the religious. The constitution grants religious liberty not religious privilege. The supposed oppression brings anguished wails when asked to treat gays and lesbians like any other customer, or religiously motivated pleas for sex-segregated swimming pools. Religious privilege looking for exemptions from laws and regulations that apply to everyone else. The Nuns don’t have to take contraception, nor do they have to remain silent about what they perceive as the evils of contraception. Nor do they have to pay for contraception used by others. But the notion that the government can’t ask them to submit a form confirming their desire to be exempt from a government-mandated health care program expands the concept of religious freedom beyond recognition. The Little Sisters of the Poor already have religious freedom – they are trying to exempt themselves from ordinary responsibilities of civil society, while obstructing their employee’s access to contraception.