What's at stake for international religious freedom in the US ...

Cardinal Timothy Dolan?s benediction at the Republican Convention, and his upcoming appearance at the Democratic Convention reflect the importance of religious debates over contraception in this election. How this battle in the ongoing American culture war is resolved matters for more than the immediate issue, though; it has the potential to undermine efforts to protect religious groups from government repression around the world.

This debate arose from the Affordable Care Act?s (ACA) provisions that ensure access to contraceptive services. In January 2012, the Department of Health and Human Services announced that most religious institutions would not be exempt from this mandate. Supporters of this move see it as ensuring women?s reproductive rights, while its opponents argue it is an infringement on the religious freedom of groups morally opposed to contraception.

This is a tricky issue. Access to contraception is an integral part of reproductive rights. Yet, the Catholic Church deeply opposes the use of contraception, and requiring Catholic institutions to provide contraception does make them act against their religious beliefs.

If this issue is resolved, it will require either one side backing down or a(nother) pretty intricate compromise. Many commentators have discussed this, but what most have not focused on is what this domestic debate means for international religious freedom efforts.

The 1998 International Religious Freedom Act (IRF) officially made the promotion of religious freedom a US policy. The act set up an office in State that produces annual IRF reports and a non-governmental advisory board, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom. While critics say neither Bush nor Obama made religious freedom a priority, Secretary Clinton?s July 2012 speech on religious freedom has brought attention to the issue.

Whatever you think about domestic religious freedom debates, it is hard to argue with religious freedom?s international importance. As a series of reports by the Pew Forum demonstrates, repression of religious groups by the state and society occurs in as diverse contexts as Middle Eastern authoritarian states, regimes that repress all potential opposition?like China, Eritrea, and Vietnam?and Western European anti-Muslim sentiment. And, over 30% the world?s population lives in countries with increasing restrictions on religion.

So what do religious freedom debates over the ACA mean for efforts to fight religious repression around the world? [More]

SOURCE

Peter Henne/Huffington Post

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Source: http://www.cathnewsusa.com/2012/09/whats-at-stake-for-international-religious-freedom-in-the-us-contraception-debate/

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