Catholic Conundrum

So, there's this birth control health care thing out there (in some form or another -- it seems to change every minute). And I'm trying to see what the REAL problem is. We're not clubbing seals with this thing. Who's being hurt by preventing unwanted pregnancy?

The president wants employers, including those of religious schools and hospitals to provide access to free birth control to its employees.

The bishops have their BVDs in a bunch.

Why?

If all of the Catholics are doing everything that the men in the funny hats are telling them to do, then where's the problem? If a good Catholic is not supposed to use birth control, then they won't be banging down the clinic doors with funds ill-gotten from insurance companies to protect themselves from unwanted pregnancies. Right?

So, with this fit (or collective fits) the Catholic leaders are throwing, aren't they pretty much showing that they have no confidence in their followers? If the Catholics are heeding their leaders, then no one is even going to fall for this socialist, birth-control trick, are they?

Then where's the problem?

The problem is they are spreading their fear of individual rights and sex and whatnot onto the rest of us. The non-Catholics.

I've never voted for a politician before based on race or religious affiliation. I think those days are over. Today's paper had one of Pennsylvania's senators, Bob Casey, labeled as a Catholic senator. I didn't know we were using those labels. He stated he was siding with his bishop in Scranton on opposing this new health care ruling.

I wrote to him this morning. I'm waiting for my limp-wristed reply. Here's what I wrote:

Senator Casey,

In the past, you have earned my vote for Senator. My belief in the government of the United States is that the people, the citizens, vote for the candidates. We vote on your positions on economic development, social services, etc. The bottom line is, this is a bottom-up government. There are no dictators. There are no kings. The people – those at the bottom, vote to put people in office.

I did not vote for your bishop in Scranton. I don’t believe that he is the king of Pennsylvania. Therefore, I am disappointed to see that he is dictating your position on the new ruling that religious schools and hospitals must provide health insurance for birth control to their employers.

This ruling would allow employers to receive birth control. It gives them an option. No one is being forced to use free birth control. No one is being forced to alter their religious beliefs. If an individual does not believe in birth control he/she does not have to purchase or use it. If a teacher, administrator, nurse, orderly, or janitor at any of these religion-based facilities wants to receive preventive birth control as part of their personal health needs, it is absurd to deny them access if they are unable to afford it.

This is not an abortion debate. This is a health debate. This is also a health debate that concerns mostly women. I am a woman. I am a resident of Pennsylvania. I am a citizen of the United States. I was lead to believe that my vote counts. The leaders of any church in this state or this country should not have a greater say than an individual. They have the right to vote the same as I do, not to dictate. Your job is to represent your constituents, not your bishop.

I'm sure this is just rife with grammatical errors, but I must do these things in the heat of the moment.