Commentary

Catholic Charities testified before the Senate Commerce Committee this week, urging legislators to impose ObamaCare upon the citizens of Idaho by creating Obama’s insurance exchange.

In so doing, the Church-affiliated organization gave some political cover to legislators grasping to maintain their pro-Life credentials while helping President Obama expand his attack on the sanctity of human life.

In essence, Ms. Tiddens told committee members: Our priority is helping the poor with more government money. We may feel bad about that abortion stuff … but that is really a federal problem. What’s important here is the money.

To say the least, this is troubling – particularly because many legislators believe that Ms. Tiddens was/is speaking for the Bishop of Idaho.

Ms. Tiddens is factually incorrect when she argues that there is nothing Idaho legislators can do about the Obama Mandate to provide free abortifacient drugs under a health insurance exchange. We have been pushing a “Religious Liberty Amendment” all session, and continue work behind the scenes to secure this basic protection for Idaho citizens and employers. We have done so, by the way, without any help from Ms. Tiddens or Catholic Charities.

Catholic Charities is also apparently oblivious to the fact that the threats posed by ObamaCare go well beyond abortifacients.

For example, what will their rationalization be when health care is restricted for certain citizens deemed “unworthy” of communal resources? When the Death Panel begins imposing rules and regulations upon the people of Idaho?

The Catholic Church has long taught the doctrine of refusing to cooperate with evil. It is indisputable that much evil is loose in ObamaCare – which is more about imposing a foreign value system than it is health care. But it seems that Catholic Charities is blinded by a different doctrine – a “social justice” agenda that is often nothing more than whitewash for social activists at war with traditional Catholic values.

The Lord himself declared that we cannot serve God and mammon.