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Religious individuals interpret the Healthcare Reform Act as means to assert dominance in society

By Sam Parker

President Barack Obama and his administration announced January 2012 the Affordable Healthcare Reform Act would mandate most health insurance plans cover a full range of contraceptives for women free of charge.

Included in this range of contraceptives are birth control pills, Plan B, ella and sterilization procedures.

No Health Care Ruling Would Please American Majority | Create infographics

The mandate does not apply to churches or institutions that primarily employ members of faith, but it does apply to all other businesses, including Catholic-affiliated nonprofit corporations, such as hospitals, charities and universities.

The inclusion of religiously-affiliated organizations led to political division between Obama’s administration and religious groups, specifically conservative Christian and Catholic organizations. Because Catholics historically do not support the use of contraceptives, the Roman Catholic Church asked for a broad exemption for Catholic-affiliated corporations. However, President Obama’s administration denied this request and instead granted religiously-affiliated organizations a one-year extension to implement the policy, giving them until Aug. 1, 2013 to comply.

But, in February 2012, the Obama administration loosened its grip, claiming church-affiliated hospitals, charities and universities would not have to adhere to the rule. Those organizations would not need to provide or pay for contraceptive coverage.

Despite this accommodating ruling, individuals across the country still expressed distaste regarding the Affordable Healthcare Reform Act. According to a Pew Research Center poll conducted in June 2012, 44 percent of respondents said they would be happy if the Supreme Court threw out the entire law, while 39 percent said they would be happy if the Supreme Court upheld the entire law. Disputes between different religious communities have emerged, as individuals of various faiths interpret the Affordable Healthcare Reform Act.

Christians

Some religious figures have argued the Affordable Healthcare Reform Act is a Christian issue primarily, specifically in terms of the contraceptive mandate, as disputes among Catholics and conservative Christians and the government continue.

Lauren Emery, interim assistant chaplain, said she thinks the Affordable Healthcare Reform Act applies to all Americans though, as 48.6 million Americans were uninsured in 2011, according to census.gov. Emery said healthcare affects more people than the uninsured; it is an issue that applies to the youth, the elderly, widows, orphans, the disabled, those with preexisting conditions and those who can afford coverage.

Christians: Awareness & Views of Contraceptive Issue | Infographics

“It’s hard because I saw (families struggling) every day, but people are very removed from it, so it’s easy to be like, ‘Well I’ve got insurance. It’s handled for me.’–to not think about the enormous wealth of people that don’t have that or that do have a problem getting health insurance,” Emery said.

Individuals have argued the Healthcare Reform Act infringes on individuals’ religious freedoms, but Emery said she does not believe this is the case. She said it is an important economic issue Americans must consider.

“I think it’s a very practical imperative for the government to do so that we’re not taxing our resources way down the line when we could be providing preventative care and things earlier on,” Emery said.

In relation to Christian ideals, Emery said the Healthcare Reform Act applies to the Christian tradition to help the less fortunate.

“I believe that there should be some sort of at least minimal safeguard someplace to take care of those who are most vulnerable who can’t take care of themselves,” Emery said.

“As a Christian, I think it’s a Biblical mandate that we care for the least of these—for those individuals who can’t afford it, for the elderly, for widows, for orphans, for the disabled, for those with preexisting conditions and everything else. It’s absolutely imperative that we care for everyone.”

Emery said she realizes not all Americans agree though, and she said she is not sure it is possible for the government to reach a consensus that will please everyone.

“I don’t know that there’s a perfect answer that’s going to satisfy everyone, but I think you have to err on the side of giving the most opportunity and freedom to everyone,” Emery said. “Nobody’s going to force anyone to use the pill or anything like that, so I think that now, we’re making good strides towards getting some answers on these questions.”

Jews

Unlike Catholics and conservative Christians, the majority of American Jews approve the Act. In the 2012 Survey of American Jewish Opinion conducted by the American Jewish Committee, approximately 37 percent of respondents approved strongly of the way President Obama was handling healthcare.

Ginny Vellani, Hillel development and Jewish life associate, echoed the sentiments of the poll. She said American Judaism tends to be more liberal, and Jews tend to favor more expansive healthcare coverage.

Jews: Do you approve or disapprove of the way President Obama is handling healthcare? | Infographics

Because Judaism has been a minority religion for the majority of its existence, Jews typically believe it is unreasonable to try to persuade an entire country to conform to one religion’s religious beliefs, according to Vellani.

“It’s sort of ridiculous to the Jewish mind that you would want society to conform to your religious values—that’s antithetical to what Jews expect or believe,” she said. “Society should not be conforming to a religion’s norms and expectations, and by being an active participant in the United States and receiving benefits like tax breaks and things like that, I think that religious organizations, from the Jewish perspective, are beholden to the country for the advantages that they’re getting there, including religious liberty.”

However, in addition to a religious issue, she interprets the healthcare conflict as an attempt to reassert male dominance.

The backlash to the Affordable Healthcare Reform Act is a last attempt by religious groups to maintain the traditional, patriarchal organization of religion, Vellani said.

“The more independence women have in terms of controlling their reproductive and sexual health, the more independence they have from the family and the traditional household structure and of their own lives,” Vellani said. “And I think this is sort of a last gasp to sort of be able to control that.”