Little Sisters Of The Poor

That the United States would oppress those given their religious liberty by its Constitution is unthinkable but the unthinkable took place on July 14, 2015, when the 3-judge panel of the 10th Circuit federal appeals court in Denver, Colorado, ruled against the Catholic nuns belonging to the Catholic religious community called Little Sisters Of The Poor.  [1], [2], [3], [4], [5]

The judges disingenuously reasoned that "because the accommodation does not involve them in providing, paying for, facilitating, or causing contraceptive coverage, Plaintiffs’ only involvement in the scheme is the act of opting out." [6]

The truth is: everything costs money, directly or indirectly. In this case, the providing of contraceptive coverage will in one way or another be reflected in the insurance premiums.  For the judges to opine that opting out is merely the signing of a piece of paper and nothing else, they are deluding themselves which intellectuals often do, with no basis in reality.

Be that as it may, the judges' ruling stands if the case is not appealed.  Hopefully, this case will be appealed, and if the United States Supreme Court affirms the Circuit court's decision or lets the ruling stand without a hearing, then my advice to Little Sisters Of The Poor is to let the fines be levied, let the hospices be closed, let all of the feeble, the sick and the dying elderly go to the United States government in Washington, D.C. with their walking aids, in their wheelchairs and on their death beds and seek care.



[1] http://www.becketfund.org/littlesisters/ (quick introduction to Little Sisters Of The Poor)
[2] http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/07/14/denver-court-rules-against-little-sisters-poor-contraception-coverage-case/ (good synopsis of the case)
[3] http://hotair.com/archives/2015/07/14/10th-circuit-to-little-sisters-of-the-poor-comply-with-contraception-mandate/ (slightly more detailed summary of the case)
[4] http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2014/01/12/obamacare-contraception-little-sisters-of-the-poor-editorials-debates/4446007/ (good editorial)
[5] http://www.becketfund.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/LSP-Op.pdf (the 133-page opinion, including the partial dissent)
[6] Ibid, page 78.