These are my personal comments and meditations about Catholicism, culture, liturgy, and the linguistic causes of theological controversy. I will occasionally digress into other topics.
I watched and heard Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison's testimony before the House
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform yesterday morning at our First Things together.
Wow!
Dr. Harrison is the President of
the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. He testified on Thursday, Feb. 16.,
to
discuss the recent U. S. Health and Human Services ruling mandating that
all organizations no matter what their moral beliefs must provide an
insurance mechanism that funds, without deductibles, abortion inducing
drugs, sterilization, and contraception. On behalf of the LCMS, Harrison
spoke to the issue
and how it violates our freedoms of religion and conscience.
The Synod President also issued a statement on February 3rd, 2012 about religious freedom in response to U.S. Department's of Health and Human Services requiring religious employers to cover contraceptives, even those that can kill unborn children.
It is difficult to know how to react to the "compromise." Is the White House completely ignorant of economics or is it just blatantly cynical? The compromise allows organizations and companies(?) who morally object to exclude the mandated coverage from their plan, but then must direct their employees to riders which the insurer must provide free of charge. The first law of economics is TANSTAAFL: "There ain't no such thing as a free lunch." As Robert Heinlein portrayed so well in The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress, somebody pays. The insurance company, forbidden to charge directly for sterilization, abortion inducing drugs, and contraception, will smear the costs into its rates.
This weblog is written by Malcolm C. Harris, Sr. Dr. Harris is a Professor of Finance at Friends University. He teaches finance, business strategy, and market research.