"Less, but equally real, is the threat to Catholic ecclesial identity created by exasperated responses from some church leaders, who unwittingly would acquiesce to the sectarian temptation presented by the state, jettisoning the church’s public institutions in the name of conscience, apparently without sober attention to the church’s historic teaching on remote material cooperation. By complying with similar state-level regulations, however, the practice of Catholic employers in a number of states without conscience exemptions (a full list is at americamagazine.org) suggests many have until now held a different reading of that tradition. In any case, the Catholic conscience needs to remain engaged in the public forum out of our faith in the church as a “sacrament” for the world."

(emphasis mine)

http://www.americamagazine.org/content/article.cfm?article_id=13238

The 28 states requiring that contraception coverage be included in prescription drug plans are: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

The 17 states with a religious exemption for employers are: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island and West Virginia.

Missouri allows any employer, religious or secular, to seek an exemption from the contraceptive coverage mandate. Nevada has a religious exemption for insurers.

http://www.americamagazine.org/content/article.cfm?article_id=13244

....that broke this camel's back. Especially after seeing the statement in the bulletin from the church my parents go to. I'm thinking of leaving. I'd rather go to a church where all levels of the church are in tune with my values, not just a scattering of people in the pews and old priests who don't give a bleep what the USCCB thinks.

Asking where the Bishop's conscience was when he fired six grave diggers last fall in order to break their union!

as the bishops fighting birth control, it won't change the election. If it gets framed as the bishops fighting for religious freedom, then we could have a problem.

We'll know better in a week or so how this is going to play out.

But even a month or two can be eternity in an election year, let alone the short attention span Twitterverse.

...after the local Catholic Charities eliminated medical coverage for employees' spouses because of same-sex marriage in the District of Columbia. It seems the only issues upon which the diocese urges parishioners to take political action are gay marriage and reproductive matters.

During the appeal there is a moment during Mass in which the priest walks everyone through filling out their form. This year I might insert a letter saying why I'm withholding support. I've already spoken with one of the priests in the parish about my objection to the church's making a stink over the coverage of contraception.