Obama's compromise is not a victory for religious liberty [updated]

Now Obama is "retreating" on his mandate:

Fearing an election-year backlash, President Obama on Friday retreated from a three-week-old policy mandating that all employers, including those with religious affiliations, offer free birth control under their employee health plans, senior administration officials said.

Obama will require insurance companies to cover the costs of birth control for employees of religiously affiliated organizations, including hospitals and schools, officials said. The new mandate represents a shift from the policy that Obama announced Jan. 20.

But this is not a victory for religious liberty, guys. On Twitter, @campion1581 noted:

HHS mandate is a violation of individual rights & conscience. NO "institutional" exemption of any kind will be sufficient. Eschew compromise

Contraception coverage issue is a predictable result of the coercion inherent in individual mandate & shows why it is fundamentally wrong

So, at the risk of pounding this point into the ground, employers and employees who happen to be Catholic or who for some other reason happen to morally object to paying for coverage of contraceptives, abortifacients, and sterilization procedures, are still required by law to compromise their religious/moral principles.

Waiting for a response from the bishops.

See also:
Elizabeth Scalia:  Obama "Accomodation" Reactions and WH “Accommodation” Trustworthy? UPDATED
Kathryn Jean Lopez: The Coalition that Gave Us Obamacare Is Back
Michelle Malkin: Obama’s fraudulent abortion mandate “accommodation” Updated: Prez condemns “cynical” opposition

***
See also Dan Collins:

People who have a very impoverished view of what the Church’s mission is will not understand that all of these ulterior functions, as they understand them, are central to the exercise of the religion. And as laity, who are we? Well, we might be involved directly in any of these ministries, or we might be involved in the same way as the Good Samaritan who brings a beaten man to a home where he can get care, and leaves money for his caretaker to oversee his convalescence.

I, for one, am very tired of having to explain all of this to people who are accusing me of creating a wedge issue out of this. Many who agree with Obama’s unconstitutional imposition argue that until such time as the Supreme Court shall rule that this law, created by the HHS rather than the Congress of our little Republic, is unconstitutional, we must set aside our consciences and abide by the letter. On the contrary, this law is quite obviously in conflict with the First Amendment, and as citizens of the United States of America, as much as Catholics or Baptists, Adventists or Jews, it is both our moral and patriotic duty to see that these illegal provisions are never brought into effect, and in doing so to leave such a lasting impression on their perpetrators that the next petty tyrant who attains the office of President will be well advised not to attempt something of this nature.

Dan also tweets:

Obama: When I take something from you that I've no right to, and pretend to give it back, you should be grateful for my magnanimity.

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As to the "free" contraceptives that will rain down like manna, Tom Maguire:

The gist, as I followed it - if a religious group has an objection to providing contraception coverage than:

(a) the employer doesn't have to pay for it;

(b) the insurance company must contact employees and volunteer to provide the coverage free of charge and without copays.

He looked serious; maybe he really believes that shifting costs eliminates costs.

In my world, at least, an insurance company would want a bit pf demographic information about a company's workforce before quoting a health care premium to the employer. If the insurance company can reasonably predict that a certain number of employees will take up the "free" contraceptive coverage, the quoted premium will be adjusted accordingly.

Now, it may be that it Obama's world the insurance compay will be utterly shocked (shocked!) to learn that some women will want the "free" contraceptive coverage, and this unexpected expense will simply come out of their exorbitant profits.  Maybe Obama is that dumb.

Read the rest.

Linked at MichelleMalkin.com -- thank you.
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