America Magazine - In All Things

Komen Runs From the Planned Parenthood Decision

Kevin Clarke

I am not crazy enough to believe that the U.S. culture wars ever ended, but it is kind of breathtaking to watch them reignite into flame before your eyes. After announcing just three days ago that it would no longer fund breast exams at a handful of Planned Parenthood affiliates, the Susan G. Komen for the Cure breast-cancer charity, having endured a relentless barrage from politicians, prochoice activists and soon to be ex-supporters, said today that it is reversing that decision.

"We want to apologize to the American public for recent decisions that cast doubt upon o

Mis-Measuring Our Lives

John Coleman, S.J.

I had occasion recently to write a longer essay on measuring the comparative well-being of nations which will appear in a Dutch-Flemish Jesuit journal, Streven. Many may know that the two Nobel economics laureates, Joseph Stiglitz and Armartya Sen, joined others in preparing a document for France's President Nicholas Sarkozy to help get a better take on comparative well-being ( which includes variables beyond the economic). Their thought has been recently published in Mis-Measuring Our Lives: Why GDP Does Not Add Up ( 2011).

It is no easy task to measure true well being. A country ( e

The WH Strikes Back

Kevin Clarke

During this morning's annual prayer breakfast, President Obama only obliquely referenced the week's unpleasantness between his administration and U.S. Catholic bishops. The relationship, already shaky, became even more strained by recent Health and Human Services edicts that will require Catholic hospitals, universities and social services to pay for health plans that include contraception, sterilization and the "morning after" drugs Plan B and ella. He said:

Now, we can earnestly seek to see these [religious] values lived out in our politics and our policies, and we can earnestly disagree on the best way to achieve these values.

Romney, Bush, immigration, and the GOP

Michael O'Loughlin

The nation’s attention over the past couple of weeks has been focused on Florida, where Mitt Romney trounced Newt Gingrich in the latest GOP primary contest. Romney’s victory is credited to a combination of the support he received from the many super PACs supporting his campaign and the coalescing of the conservative establishment around his candidacy. (Check out a piece I wrote about super PACs over at Busted Halo here).

The 2008 GOP nominee John McCa

A Visit to Salt + Light

Tim Reidy

Last week I had the privilige of visiting Salt + Light communications in Toronto, a very impressive organization that operates a host of media ministries, including a television station, a radio program, a magazine and, of course, a blog. Salt + Light is directed by Fr. Tom Rosica, who also serves as Consultor to the Pontifical Council for Social Commu

CHA statement on HHS policy

Kevin Clarke

The Catholic Health Association has released an updated statement on the recent HHS position on a narrow religious exemption for Catholic institutional employers.

Something has to be fixed

By SR. CAROL KEEHAN, DC

CHA president and chief executive officer

CHA and its members were profoundly disappointed to learn that the definition of a religious employer was not going to be broadened in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' rules for preventive services for women.

The impact of being told we do not fit the new definition of a religious employer and therefore cannot operate our ministries following our cons

The Editors on the HHS Decision

Tim Reidy

Here is a sneak peek at next week's editorial:

For a century and a half the Catholic Church in the United States has served the American people with health care, education and social services. Even a few months ago it would have seemed preposterous to suggest that the U.S. government would place the future of those good works at risk. That seems to be what has happened, however, with a decision by the Department of Health and Human Services to allow only a narrow conscientious exemption to the employer health care insurance mandate of the Affordable Ca

Review for Religious to Suspend Publication

James Martin, S.J.

In a bit of sad news, after 70 years of distinguished service, the publication Review for Religious will "suspend" publication, at least in its current format. Whether or not it will be revived, and in what capacity, is not known. Michael Harter, SJ, the current editor, writes in the new (or last) issue:

As a result of our discussions and discernment, we have determined that this copy of Review for Religious is the final issue that will be produced by our St. Louis office. Whether the journal remains as a print publication, or is redesi

H.H.S. and November

Kevin Clarke

The U.S. bishops this week continued a scorching rhetorical response to the recent H.H.S. decision to maintain a narrow religious exemption for contraception requirements in new health insurance plans, but some reporters have noted a small problem with all the outrage. Primarily its absence in previous years as Catholic employers grappled with state requirements regarding contraception and health insurance. At least 28 states require that contraception b

GM CEO on hybrid capitalism

Michael O'Loughlin

My recent post on Mitt Romney’s staggering wealth, and his own perception that President Obama is trying to stir resentment among voters because of it, generated a good bit of discussion on my claim that:

For all its ills, capitalism seems to be the best way for individuals to thrive socially, economically, and perhaps even spiritually. Such a system will inevitably produce winners and losers, though the hope is that the vast majority will find themselves somewhere in the middle.

A few comments took issue with the assertion that capitalism is even a decent

Stuck In The Teeth

Jim Keane, S.J.

In his memoir/novel A Million Little Pieces (first pitched as the latter, then sold and made famous as the former, then eventually exposed as largely the latter), author James Frey tells the harrowing tale of undergoing a double root canal without any anesthetic. It’s one of the most cringe-worthy moments in the book, because anyone who has had a root canal even with anesthetic can testify it’s an uncomfortable experience, to say the least. To have two at once without painkillers seems beyond the realm of the possible. In Frey&r

The HHS Decision

Vincent Miller

I’ve spent much of the past week working through the Obama Administration’s decision to not expand the religious employer exemptions for HHS mandated preventative health services. I believe President Obama and Secretary Sebelius made the wrong decision. These regulations create a conflict between a federal definition of the scope of religious organizations’ mission and their own theological definitions of their mission.

It would not have been legally simple to create a broadened federal religious employer exemption, but surely something could have been done. The legal complexities of the issue make it one that would have been liti

Readings: Obama is Back

Raymond A. Schroth

Newsweek revved us up for both the State of the Union address and the coming election campaign with two articles: Andrew Sullivan (January 16) tries to show how President Obama’s long game will outsmart his critics. When he took office the United States was losing 750,000 jobs a month. “Economies take time to shift course.” He says Obama continued the Bush bank bailout, initiated a bailout of the auto industry, and worked to pass the huge stimulus package of $787 billion. He has lowered taxes, reduced the deficit, and rever

WSJ, WaPo weigh in on HHS decision

Michael O'Loughlin

The Washington Post published an editorial on the recent HHS decision that would require Catholic affiliated non-church institutions to offer contraception coverage in employee health plans:

The best approach would have been for HHS to stick to its original conclusion that contraception coverage should generally be required but to expand the scope of its proposed exemption for religiously affiliated employers who claim covering contraception would violate their religious views. The administration’s feint at a co

Jesus, Humor, John Paul and Monty Python

James Martin, S.J.

CNN asked about religion and humor and put together this fun video