From Odyssey Network’s Faith on the Record series: This week, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in Sebelius v Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. This is a moment to examine not just what “freedom of religion” means, but how to find new solutions as well. When it concerns the toughest questions, the new answers we seek rarely come from grilling the other person about what they believe…
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Brad Hirschfield is the co-founder and co-executive editor of The Wisdom Daily. A rabbi, Brad has been featured on ABC’s Nightline UpClose, PBS’s Frontline, Fox News and National Public Radio. He wrote a long-standing column, “For God’s Sake,” for the Washington Post and has also written for The Huffington Post and Beliefnet.com. He authored the book You Don’t Have To Be Wrong For Me To Be Right: Finding Faith Without Fanaticism. Brad also serves as President of Clal, The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, a leadership training institute, think tank, and resource center in New York City.
Although I agree with your video, I don?t understand why people aren?t questioning why birth control, for the prevention of pregnancy, is covered under the Affordable Health Care Act. It doesn?t seem to me to be a woman?s health issue. Therefore, it shouldn?t be a religious freedom issue. Personally, I don?t care what people do in the privacy of their bedroom; however, I don?t want to have to pay for it.
JfromCA,
I would simply say that while not a health issue in the sense of preventing or treating disease, it is about how a woman treats/cares for/uses her body, and that’s not a crazy way to imagine “health issue”, is it? You are right that placing it in that category is itself a political decision which advantages the issue, but I am not sure that matters in this case.
By definition, as citizens, we agree to pay for all sorts of things with which we disagree, and while I would like to see better workarounds for people in that position re birth control, those people would still need to be open to the fact that they will be paying for a system that provides for birth control as medical choice to be made by the women who uses it. To this point, that remains a principle which they reject.
Thanks for reading! -Brad
Brad, I love this change in point of view. I so agree that we learn more by examining ourselves rather than grilling others. Thanks for sharing this.