Religious Liberty- sort of

In Iran There are journalists who are in jail for speaking out against the religious Ayatollahs- in the hundreds. There are others who have been executed. The Bahai faith has been persecuted in Iran- their population has been terrorized by the Ayatollahs- they have been assassinated en masse just for being Bahai. In France during the French Revolution, the Jesuits were expelled from the country, such as were not locked in the Bastille or executed by the revolutionaries. Hence, some of them ended up at Georgetown. In Nazi Germany being Jewish got your property confiscated and you rounded up into forced slavery labor camps and gassed to death en masse- for their religion. In Pakistan there are rules called "blasphemy laws" which can get christian converts killed just for their religion. In places in the Sudan and Nigera and other places in Africa christian pastors are routinely executed and tortured just for being christian. In Scotland being a Presbyterian who didn't favor a British Queen could in centuries past get you locked up in a castle for your religion. In Northern Ireland being catholic could get you shot with impunity. These are infringements of religious liberty. These are the things the forefathers sought to guard against. Having to pay for insurance with wider coverage - or not carry insurance at your election- is not likely to be deemed by the courts as a religious freedom issue, nor should it be. The government has clearly a constitutional mandate regarding health and welfare of the nation. It makes a mockery of the principle- it is a vain fight not a landmark case- it is a republican assault on Obama that will likely fail. It is silliness. No one is interfering with anyone's religious practice by wider insurance coverage because no one is forced to avail of the service. No student or employee is told they have to take any abortofascient or forced to take any contraceptive. No religious college or hospital has to even carry any insurance. In fact some, like Ave Maria are reported to have cancelled all student insurance. Under Obamacare you can be carried to age 26 on your parents policy so the student might not even care that the college doesn't carry it for students. It isn't a frivolous suit and likely will survive a Motion to Dismiss but my guess is it loses on summary judgment on constitutional grounds. To the rest of the country it looks ridiculous- which is why the main stream media didn't cover it. They tend to cover things not that ridiculous. In the insulated world of Our Lady of the Holy Political Wanabees, this doesn't merit Press. And it is all I am going to say on the point. Other laws that the government has a right to tell all Catholic Institutions to adhere to even though there is a religious mission on campus or in a hospital include- the entire criminal code (you don't get to assault anyone or murder anyone on campus) and EPA regulations- you cannot dump toxic waste just because it is on campus, disposal of biowaste in hospitals regulations, medical malpractice laws and rules for doctors practicing in catholic hospitals to name a few. Wider insurance coverage religious liberty ? Give me a break. -----Nothing is stopping any catholic institution from putting a mailer in every student insurance form or document saying "We disapprove strongly of contraception, Plan B and elective sterilization but the government makes us make this available to you. We hope you never use it." The public health benefits of having contraception free to avoid an unwanted pregnancy (while in school even) and all the emotional trauma that entails are so obvious only a group of smug religious men wouldn't get it.