Dear Editor,
As a Catholic woman and Obama supporter, I thought I should state that Obama has not alienated me by supporting women's rights or holding the Catholic Church to the same standards as other organizations. Many Catholic hospitals receive government funding and as such should not be exempt from providing contraceptives to their female employees.
Also, the Catholic Church cannot force its position on birth control on its non-Catholic employees. In a letter to the Archdiocese of Boston, Cardinal Sean O'Malley claims the Obama administration's policy "strikes at the fundamental right to religious liberty for all citizens of any faith." Cardinal O'Malley could not be more wrong. On the contrary, the Obama administration is protecting the non-Catholic employees' liberty without infringing upon Catholics' rights. Under the policy, no Catholic would be forced to use contraceptives.
Finally, I would describe myself as not just a moderate Catholic, but a liberal Catholic, and as such I assert my right and the right of all Catholic women to access affordable contraceptives. I applaud the Obama administration's advocacy for women's rights and religious freedom and am disappointed in its final decision in not forcing Catholic organizations to provide contraceptive coverage.
Sincerely,
Megan Clark
Class of 2014
