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SACRAMENTO, AUGUST 7 (ZENIT.org).- Supported by the Catholic Bishops of California, on July 20, the Sacramento Catholic Charities filed a suit against the state of California, to invalidate two new state
laws that attack the elementary right of religious liberty, guaranteed both by the U.S. and California Constitutions.
The new laws, which were approved by the state legislature last year and promulgated by the California government on January 1 of this year, oblige Catholic institutions and organizations to offer their
employees health insurance that covers the use of contraceptives, in direct opposition to the moral teachings of the Church.
The situation could become more serious in the near future, considering that the United States is about to legalize the use of RU-486, a powerful abortive, which would be classified by the FDA as an
"emergency contraceptive." As a result, the Catholic Church and other California religious institutions would be compelled to offer abortive drugs to their employees.
"Despite the fact that these laws have a 'conscience clause,' which exempts religious institutions opposed to contraceptives from complying with them, the laws abrogate to themselves the right to
define what is, or is not, a religious institution," the director of California's "Catholic Herald," Ricardo Olvera, said.
"In this case, the Catholic Charities are considered to be a secular, not religious, institutions and, consequently, are excluded from this protection," Olvera explained. The law states that a
"religious employer" is "1) a nonprofit organization, as described by the Internal Revenue Service; 2) one whose purpose is "the inculcation of religious values"; 3) one that
"primarily employs persons who share [its] religious tenets"; and 4) that "serves primarily persons who share [the] religious tenets."
"In fact, according to these laws, the definition of what should be considered a religious institution is so narrow that it excludes the greater part of the ministries carried out by the Catholic
Church, especially those related to social work, health, and education... Under this criteria, not even Mother Teresa of Calcutta's work could be classified as a religious institution," Olvera
lamented.
"Obviously, this definition was tailor-made to exclude the greater part of Catholic ministries. However, above all, it is obviously an unprecedented attempt on the part of the state to define what
is, or is not, 'religion,' and to impose its own definition of the activities it considers 'religious' or 'secular.' Obviously, this violates the separation of Church and State," the director of the
"Catholic Herald" clarified.
Ricardo Olvera pointed out that the problem is not a debate on the Church's teaching regarding abortion or contraceptives. "What must be determined is if a government (in this case, the state of
California's) can compel a religious institution to be a leader or promoter of beliefs and actions that are diametrically opposed to its principles and beliefs."
"For those who don't believe that such is right," said Rosemary Perez of Buena Park, "I don't think it's right to be taking money out of their paycheck to pay for those kinds of
things." Perez, an X-ray technician, made the personal choice to change her health coverage to ValuSure, a corporation that does not reimburse for abortions, sterilizations, or contraceptives.
Former president and current spokesman for ValuSure, Mike O'Dea is concerned that "people in California can't get a health care plan now that's in accord with their Catholic beliefs." O'Dea, who
now heads the Christus Medicus ("Christ the Physician") foundation, told the "Los Angeles Lay Catholic Mission" that as the new law stands, "I'm not gonna sell insurance in
California."
Sacramento Catholic Charities Catholic Charities have been exercising a ministry that is as old as the Church itself, helping the weakest and neediest in society, in keeping with Catholic social doctrine.
For many years, Catholic Charities have been assisting Sacramento communities spread around 20 counties of the Sacramento diocese, of which the Charities form part. They operate through three regional
agencies: Catholic Social Services (CSS) of Sacramento, CSS of Northern Valley, and CSS of Solano. Among others, the services they offer to both Catholics and non-Catholics alike are food, clothing,
immigration, advice on childen and families, assistance for the mentally handicapped, care for AIDS patients, help for the elderly, youth guidance, and domestic violence prevention.
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