Archdiocese of Washington’s Lawsuit Not Reflective of Catholic Opinion

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington has joined other Catholic organizations and requested that the Supreme Court hear its case and block the Obama administration’s contraceptive coverage requirement under the Affordable Care Act.

Jon O’Brien, president of Catholics for Choice, said that in filing the suit, “the archbishop is not representing the views of the majority of US Catholics. Sexually active Catholic women are just as likely to have used some form of contraception banned by the Vatican as the general population. Fully 98 percent of them have done so. American Catholics support the right of women and men to make important reproductive healthcare decisions for themselves. When Catholic voters considered healthcare reform in 2009, more than six in ten supported health insurance coverage—whether it is private or government insurance—for contraception. The archdiocese’s suit reflects the views of the archbishop and not Catholics and should be ignored by the Supreme Court.”

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