Zenit.org is reporting that moral theologian and current president of the NCBC, John Haas, has constructed the guidelines to help Catholic business owners decide how to respond to the August 1 mandate which requires non-exempt business owners and institutions to pay for insurance that provides abortion-inducing drugs, contraception and sterilization procedures to employees. Religious institutions that qualify for a very narrowly written exemption have been granted an additional year to comply with the law.
However, those who do not qualify for this exemption are left with four choices: willingly assent to the coverage, provide insurance that does not comply with the mandate and therefore face legal repercussions, drop all coverage while providing fair compensation for all benefits, or temporarily comply under protest.
The NCBC states that dropping insurance altogether would be the correct moral choice for non-exempt businesses under the circumstances. “As unfortunate as it is, this approach appears to be the most morally sound and fiscally survivable option for the employer at present,” the report states.
The option to temporarily comply under protest was seen as a “measure of last resort," provided that compliance ends once “insurance exchanges are available to employees in 2014.”
While encouraging those who are challenging the law in court, the report states that those business owners who cannot afford to do so would be advised to drop the insurance rather than comply. "Other options outlined above could be morally licit depending on the circumstances faced by those being forced to comply."
Click here to read the full guidelines for non-exempt business owners.
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