After writing my last blog, I was really frustrated and down-hearted. I mean, it’s all I’ve been able to think about all weekend. And I’ve weighed the arguments and gone back and forth. And no matter what it seems like I really can’t come to a solid conclusion about the whole thing.
We’ve got conservatives stating that it’s about Pharmaceutical companies that want birth control to be paid for by nonprofits, that it’s a violation of the freedom of religion, or the federal government flexing its muscle on businesses.
On the flip side we have liberals stating that it’s about freedom of choice, that it’s all about women’s rights, or that birth control is a basic human right. And of course the atheists like to chime in at this point that religion is the opiate of the masses and anything having to do with religion should be shunned.
The whole thing is just plain frustrating because I can see both points of view and there really isn’t precedent like it in the past. In the 1860s we forced companies to pay their workers by abolishing slavery. Later that century, we forced companies to pay workers in money, not just material goods. We forced them to limit the hours and jobs of minors. In the past 100 years, employers have been forced to hire women and Blacks as equally as men and Whites.
Many of us have seen the employee rights listed on the posters in the break room.
Aren’t these good things? These don’t have anything to do with religion, do they?
At some point, all of those issues were religious in nature. For example, many in the South came to believe that God had made the white man ruler over all other races. Many cite the New Testament as a reason for why a man should not work for a woman. There are even more examples outside of employment.
As far as I can see, it comes down to two points. (1) Do religious nonprofits operate differently than other companies, and (2) is birth control a basic human right?
Let’s talk about Nonprofits. Many believe that nonprofits should be treated like regular businesses possibly because there are so many with so many people. Maybe it’s because they believe that businesses will claim nonprofit status just so they don’t have to pay so much.
A nonprofit business is not in it for the money, but for the “greater good.” All of its funds must be used for that cause. No person owns the nonprofit and property and income are recycled back into the nonprofit’s public benefit mission and activities. Cash, equipment, and other property cannot be used for anyone’s private benefit without fair market compensation to the nonprofit organization. It is run by a board of directors that act as one body and no one, not even the founder, can control it.
So, let’s use Catholic Charities (USA) as an example (since Catholics do not believe in birth control). Their vision states that “The mission of Catholic Charities is to provide service to people in need, to advocate for justice in social structures, and to call the entire church and other people of good will to do the same.”
So where does birth control fit in their mission? It falls under “justice in social structures.” What justice? According to the Catholic belief, contraception (of any kind) is unnatural and harmful to those involved. It encourages promiscuity and prohibits God’s gift of life. Okay, so that’s the abridged version. The point is, being “Catholic,” birth control violates a key part of who they are.
So why can’t they just follow the law? Christians and non-Christians don’t understand that religious belief often comes in packages. For example, if you follow the ten commandments, you can’t have “Thou shalt not kill” without having “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” Need some analogies? It’s like making Jews let employees work on Saturdays. It’s like making Hindus serve beef at their homeless shelter. It’s like making Atheists allow Bibles in their libraries.
All of these are ridiculous things to ask of these organizations because it violates the principles that govern them in the first place. Clearly, a nonprofit has the right to serve the community and follow its creeds at the same time. The alternative is that you force the nonprofit to close its doors since it cannot violate its creed and exist at the same time.
Let’s talk basic human rights for a moment. Should a nonprofit be allowed to deny basic human rights? Should I go to a homeless shelter and be turned away because I’m white? Should I? No. Should the nonprofit be allowed to? Yes. What? How can I say that?
Because in this fictional (as far as I know) scenario, this nonprofit doesn’t believe it should serve white people? So, let’s say that another white person feels that it isn’t fair and files charges against the nonprofit? And let’s say that legislation is passed that prohibits racial discrimination by a nonprofit. Now, the homeless shelter closes its doors. And hundreds of non-whites go homeless on the street.
What’s more humane? Closing services to hundreds of people over fairness or allowing services to continue in spite of unfairness?
Obviously, shelter is a basic human right. Yet, we still allow “women’s” shelters and “men’s” shelters. Isn’t this sexual discrimination? Some nonprofits target specific groups, like the NAACP. Aren’t they racially prejudiced? What about nonprofits that target only nursing homes? Aren’t they practicing age-discrimination?
Even if birth control is a basic human right (which I would argue is not the case since humans have never been born with such a right), nonprofits are already discriminating who they offer services to. But what about the employees? Clearly, a nursing-home nonprofit has young people in its ranks. And the NAACP has non-black volunteers.
Can a nonprofit discriminate who it hires?
Because clearly this law of making nonprofits pay for birth control wouldn’t even be an issue if its employees didn’t believe in it, right (I mean, ideally)? Actually, yes, they can. According to the U.S. Supreme Court,World Vision can hire only Christians to work in its U.S. operations. The largest nonprofit in the state has the right to hire or dismiss employees based on their religious affiliation, the court ruled by allowing the lower court decision to stand.
So maybe it’s a non-issue. If nonprofits only hire individuals that don’t use birth control, then even if they would pay for the service, they could terminate the employment of anyone that uses it. But wouldn’t that be worse than just letting nonprofits run their businesses like they want?
Really, I think the federal government should back off on this one. Part of the appeal of nonprofits is that they do things because they are compelled by their beliefs to do so. That's where they get their passion. Let’s not destroy the good that they do because we don’t agree with their morals. Instead, acknowledge your disagreement, and try to be a brighter light to the world. I dare you.
Supreme Court: World Vision can hire only Christians http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2011/10/03/supreme-court-world-vision-can-hire.html
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