By David Hughes, Telegraph
The Obama administration’s decision to take on the Catholic Church at this stage of the political cycle is either very brave or very stupid. As Jon Swaine reports this morning, the President’s overhaul of healthcare includes a provision that religious charities, universities and other groups must now provide contraception in staff insurance packages and failure to do so will result in hefty fines. More than 150 Catholic bishops have spoken out against the change, with one accusing Obama of waging a "severe assault on religious liberty". According to Alexander Sample, the Bishop of Marquette, "we Catholics will be compelled to either violate our consciences, or to drop health coverage for our employees and suffer the penalties for doing so.” With 70 million Catholics in the United States, this looks like a kamikaze mission by the White House. Why have they done it? David Brooks in the New York Times has a persuasive theory:




By Dale O'Leary
By Patrick Wintour, Guardian
From BRIN
By John Smeaton, SPUC
From The Christian Institute
By Mark Greaves, Catholic Herald
By Tobin Grant, Christianity Today
From BBC News
From The Christian Institute
By Andrew Carey, CEN
By Andrew Grice, The Independent
By Hilary White, LifeSite News
By Kathleen Gilbert, LifeSite News