To Pay or Not to Pay…For Contraceptives The Classic Debate of Separation of Church and State

January 2012 Department of Health and Human Services Required health care plans include preventative health care coverage Specifically: Contraceptives Religious non-profitable Organizations are not exempt from the mandate Schools, Hospitals, Charities (Pear, Robert. "U.S. Clarifies Policy on Birth Control for Religious Groups." Nytimes.com. The New York Times, 16 Mar Web. 27 Mar )

Dilemma at Hand Protests from some religious and conservative groups Roman Catholic Church Claims to be violating religious liberties Majority of religious affiliated employers polled “opt out” for contraceptive issue 21-point margin, (Madison, Lucy. "Poll: Most Say Employers Should Be Allowed Not to Cover Contraception." CBSNews. CBS Interactive, 12 Mar Web. 28 Mar )

Argument: Contraceptives (State) Improves access to healthcare in all 50 states Allows individuals to choose the birth control that is right for them without stress of monthly co-pays or up- front costs Free access will reduce unwanted pregnancies and lower abortion rates (Pear, Robert. "U.S. Clarifies Policy on Birth Control for Religious Groups." Nytimes.com. The New York Times, 16 Mar Web. 27 Mar )

Argument: Opt Out (Church) Violation of “separation of church and state” in 1 st Amendment of the Constitution “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances” -1 st Amendment

Interpretation of 1 st Amendment 1 st Option- The Constitution gives government power to regulate some aspects of religion, and that the 1 st Amendment only establishes a national church ("Position of the Different Sides in the Separation Debate." Welcome to The Constitutional Principle: Separation of Church and State Page. Web. 27 Mar ) 2 nd Option- The Constitution gives no authority to the government over religion and 1 st Amendment bans all types of interference with religion ("Position of the Different Sides in the Separation Debate." Welcome to The Constitutional Principle: Separation of Church and State Page. Web. 27 Mar )

Brief Summary A benefit to the public good Angry religious organizations of infringement upon religious freedom Cannot please both by choosing one or the other

Mediation President Obama put into action a plan: Insurance companies would fund the coverage, not religious groups This compromise works to address the concerns of both groups by allowing access to preventive health care options without requiring religious organizations to sanction or bear the costs of providing contraceptives to their employees ( Pear, Robert. "U.S. Clarifies Policy on Birth Control for Religious Groups." Nytimes.com. The New York Times, 16 Mar Web. 27 Mar )

Bigger Picture Correlation of Contraceptive Issues and Separation of Church and State Compromise was needed in order to solve Health Care Problem Relating to Church and State: Both will have to compromise varying on the issue if there is to be peace

Works Cited Madison, Lucy. "Poll: Most Say Employers Should Be Allowed Not to Cover Contraception." CBSNews. CBS Interactive, 12 Mar Web. 28 Mar Pear, Robert. "U.S. Clarifies Policy on Birth Control for Religious Groups." Nytimes.com. The New York Times, 16 Mar Web. 27 Mar "Position of the Different Sides in the Separation Debate." Welcome to The Constitutional Principle: Separation of Church and State Page. ND. Web. 27 Mar