1. Church vs. State Separate or Together?

2. Narrowing the Debate 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. 2012. Web. 27 Mar. 2012..)

3. Results 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, 57-36 (Madison, Lucy. "Poll: Most Say Employers Should Be Allowed Not to Cover Contraception." CBSNews. CBS Interactive, 12 Mar. 2012. Web. 28 Mar. 2012..)

4. 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. 2012. Web. 27 Mar. 2012..)

5. 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

6. 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. 2012..) 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. 2012..)

7. Source of the Problem Happy consumers of health care benefits Angry religious organizations of infringement upon religious freedom Cannot please both by choosing one

8. 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. 2012. Web. 27 Mar. 2012..)

9. Bigger Picture Correlation: Church and State should compromise if there will be any means of peace among the two

10. Works Cited Madison, Lucy. "Poll: Most Say Employers Should Be Allowed Not to Cover Contraception." CBSNews. CBS Interactive, 12 Mar. 2012. Web. 28 Mar. 2012.. Pear, Robert. "U.S. Clarifies Policy on Birth Control for Religious Groups." Nytimes.com. The New York Times, 16 Mar. 2012. Web. 27 Mar. 2012.. "Position of the Different Sides in the Separation Debate." Welcome to The Constitutional Principle: Separation of Church and State Page. ND. Web. 27 Mar. 2012..