First things first. Yes, the following think piece is from a conservative Catholic news source.
But there are times when doctrinally conservative Catholic folks need to read the National Catholic Reporter. And this is a time when doctrinally liberal Catholics — and journalists, especially — should read and mark up an article from the National Catholic Register.
Here’s why: This essay contains a long checklist of valid story ideas, as in issues from the past that are almost certain to come up again in the near future. You can see this in the long, long second line in this Register headline:
What a Xavier Becerra HHS Could Mean for Catholics
Becerra’s record in California shows that he, perhaps more than any other state attorney general, has been willing to wield the power of the state to enforce pro-abortion policies against religious and pro-life groups.
Now it’s true that, for conservative Catholics, this story is packed with potential public-policy nightmares, in terms of their impact on traditional Catholic groups and ministries. Can you say “Little Sisters of the Poor”?
At the same time, many — but not all — Catholic liberals will cheer if some of these policy showdowns come to pass.
In terms of doctrine and church-state law, Catholics on the left and right will have radically different views of Becerra being handed this crucial high ground in the culture wars. Evangelicals who lead colleges and universities will be concerned, as well.
But that’s beside the point, if one looks at this piece through the eyes of a religion-beat professional (or even an open-minded scribe on the political desk) who is looking for valid stories to cover. Journalists need to read all of this, but here are a few items that demonstrate what I am saying. Spot the potential stories in this passage:
Among the many offices at HHS are ones that oversee Medicare and Medicaid, children and families, global health affairs, civil rights in health care, substance abuse, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
HHS has authority over a broad range of concerns — federally-funded adoption agencies, regulation of the abortion pill, refugee resettlement, anti-human trafficking efforts, global health, and family planning, to name a few.
More? Do the math on this one:
An estimated one in six hospital beds in the U.S. is in a Catholic hospital, according to the ACLU. Catholics provide adoption and foster care services around the country, and help resettle refugee families. They operate shelters for human trafficking survivors. Catholic doctors, nurses, and foster mothers may work anywhere in the healthcare system, not just at Catholic institutions.
Furthermore, many Catholic employers offer health coverage to their employees — another area of HHS oversight in the wake of the Affordable Care Act.
Now, how about a flashback or two, to see some specifics:
A number of groups — chief among them the ACLU — have for years been pushing for contraceptives, abortions, same-sex marriages, and gender-transition procedures to become the norm in health care and family life, whether or not religious organizations agree.
An administration which is willing to aggressively back abortion, marriage redefinition, and gender ideology could pick a lot of fights with Catholic organizations. …
The HHS crafted the contraceptive mandate, which forced many Catholic employers — including the Little Sisters of the Poor — into court. Even after the sisters were granted a broader conscience and religious freedom exemption, it was challenged by several state attorneys general, including Becerra.
In 2016, the agency required doctors to perform gender-transition surgeries upon the referral of a mental health professional, whether or not doctors agreed with the procedure. In addition, many insurance companies and employers were required to cover the procedure.
Grab a high-liter pen because there are many more story hooks here. I haven’t even taken readers halfway through this article.
Journalists: Ignore the conservative spin on some of these issues, because the facts are valid — in terms of pointing to church-state potboilers in the past that are sure to being moving back onto the White House stove-top. Lots of them will then head to the Supreme Court.