HHS Mandate and Conscience - Degrees of separation?

[Cris07]

I understand all the moral and theological implications on the HHS mandate. But, I don’t understand how paying taxes that can then be used to provide sterilizations, abortifacients, and contraception for low-income women is not morally wrong and is not a violation of my conscience (or is it?!). But, mandating an employer to provide his employees with a health insurance plan that covers those services is. This is an argument I have encountered from several non-Catholic friends and I’m afraid I can’t come up with a coherent asnwer. I usually mumble something about “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s”, the First Amendment, and the Religous Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA).

Is it a matter of degrees of separation from the intrinsically evil act and the one providing the funding? I know I am missing something probably pretty obvious, but I can’t see it.

Thanks!

 

[edwest2]

I think you’ll find some clear answers here.

stophhs.com/stop-hhs-faq/

Peace,
Ed

 

[thistle]

I understand all the moral and theological implications on the HHS mandate. But, I don’t understand how paying taxes that can then be used to provide sterilizations, abortifacients, and contraception for low-income women is not morally wrong and is not a violation of my conscience (or is it?!). But, mandating an employer to provide his employees with a health insurance plan that covers those services is. This is an argument I have encountered from several non-Catholic friends and I’m afraid I can’t come up with a coherent asnwer. I usually mumble something about “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s”, the First Amendment, and the Religous Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA).

Is it a matter of degrees of separation from the intrinsically evil act and the one providing the funding? I know I am missing something probably pretty obvious, but I can’t see it.

Thanks!

Paying taxes to the government is not morally wrong and how they spend it is beyond your control. You have no moral liability for what they spend taxes on even if it is on things contrary to Church teachings.
On the other hand if your monthly pay had a tax deduction specifically to fund abortion, for example, then that would be a different story in my opinion but when its general income tax going into the government pot you have no moral responsibility for how it is used.

 

[Cris07]

Paying taxes to the government is not morally wrong and how they spend it is beyond your control. You have no moral liability for what they spend taxes on even if it is on things contrary to Church teachings.
On the other hand if your monthly pay had a tax deduction specifically to fund abortion, for example, then that would be a different story in my opinion but when its general income tax going into the government pot you have no moral responsibility for how it is used.

Ed - thanks for your reply. I have read that site through and through, but I couldn’t find the exact issue I was having probelms with.

Thistle - I think your answer is more along the lines of what I was looking for. Thanks!