The seperation of church and state

Essay by brannancCollege, UndergraduateA, March 2004

download word file, 3 pages 3.3 1 reviews

There exists within our society, two very different organizations, both with very specific agendas. Ideally, two groups of dissimilar goals should find a harmonious middle ground. Unfortunately, those things that only exist in an ideal world do not exist in ours. The United States government, breaking into specifics, the California Supreme Court is the first group. According to Article I, Section 4 of the California State Constitution, their responsibility is to uphold that "Free exercise and enjoyment of religion without discrimination or preference are guaranteed. This liberty of conscience does not excuse acts that are licentious or inconsistent with the peace or safety of the State. The Legislature shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion." For all intents and purposes, this statement is a run-on adapted from Article I of the Constitution. The second group to be addressed is Catholic Charities of Sacramento, Inc. According to a court briefing "Catholic Charities is a California public benefit corporation that provides social services to the poor, disabled, elderly, and otherwise vulnerable members of society, regardless of their religious beliefs.

It has health insurance coverage with prescription drug benefits for its employees, who represent a diverse group of religious faiths." At this point, it is only natural to inquire why a problem has erupted between these two groups. The issue at hand is contraception.

The religious tenets of Catholicism maintain that using contraception is a grave sin, and is extrinsically evil. However, a statute exists that closely governs California employers. If a California employer offers health insurance or disability insurance, that includes prescription drug coverage, the employer must select an insurance provider that also includes prescription contraceptives. Being the current situation, the California Supreme Court recently heard Catholic Charities of Sacramento, Inc., v. Superior Court for the State of...