Paying for Contraception
To the Editor:
Linda Greenhouse ("Accidental Heroines," Opinionator essay, nytimes.com, March 7) misses the point of my commentary in The Wall Street Journal entirely. When I fault Sandra Fluke, a Georgetown University Law School student, for demanding that a Catholic school pay for drugs so that students can have sex without getting pregnant, my point is the payment, not the sex.
Nobody cares about Ms. Fluke's sex life, but I do care about my alma mater's religious freedom. Georgetown has the right not to cover contraception in its student health plans if that violates its religious beliefs. (It does cover oral contraceptives for medical conditions, as Ms. Fluke concedes.)
Americans who want contraception are free to get it, but forcing religious institutions to provide it through mandated insurance coverage is a diminishment of freedom.
CATHY CLEAVER RUSE
Senior Fellow for Legal Studies
Family Research Council
This letter to the editor appeared in The New York Times on March 10, 2012.
Meet The Author
Cathy Ruse Senior Fellow - Legal Studies
Cathy Ruse has devoted her professional career to promoting the dignity of the human person. Her professional experience spans the fields of communication, public policy, and law. (Full Bio)