This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

If anyone out there didn't like my last weekend column

— No court can grant exemptions from the real world — George Pyle | The Salt Lake Tribune

" ... All FDA-approved forms of contraception are an integral part of modern medical care. Those who find it creepy are free not to use it. But those beliefs have no standing to derail, or even impede, a long-overdue plan to make generally accepted medical care — particularly the prevention of unwanted or unwise pregnancies — a basic human service of a civilized society. ..."

(and, judging from the response via gpyle@sltrib.com, many of you fall in that category)

then you might like this better:

— Obama vs the Little Sisters of the Poor — Rich Lowry | The National Review

" ... The Little Sisters deserve deference. Their religious sensibility is different than — and, one hazards to say, more finely tuned than — that of the mandarins of President Barack Obama's administrative state. In a dispute over what their conscience tells them to do or not to do, the Little Sisters are better positioned to know than anyone else. ..."

Or this:

— Religious liberty must trump Obamacare — Colorado Springs Gazette Editorial

"President Obama, leave the selfless, charitable Catholic nuns alone. Grant Little Sisters of the Poor the same relief you've given big business and special interests that weren't ready to accept the mandates of your signature Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. ..."

Or, on the other hand, this:

— Retain health care law's contraceptive mandate — Denver Post Editorial

"... About half of U.S. pregnancies are unintended, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And just the publicly financed medical care for unintended pregnancies costs taxpayers $12 billion annually, according to a Brookings Institution study. Protecting the health care needs of society and the individual while respecting the religious rights of employers is a difficult task. But in this case, we think the right balance already has been struck."

— Catholic Employers Claim That Filling Out an Obamacare Form Violates Their Religious Freedom — Amanda Marcotte | Slate

" ... That's right: These groups are arguing that filling out a form is a violation of their religious freedom and that "religious freedom" means that you should have control over your employee's health care decisions even when they happen outside of the insurance coverage you directly provide for them. ..."

— Nuns cry 'threat to religious liberty' over Obamacare, but take a closer look — Jersey Star-Ledger Editorial

"... So to sum up: This group of nuns is not in any way being forced to give contraceptive coverage to any employee, or any other kind of care that goes against their beliefs. Yet they are still fighting the idea that their employees could look elsewhere for the birth control that they need. ..."

— The Little Sisters of the Poor vs. Obamacare — Los Angeles Times Editorial

" ... The group's objection to filling out the form is hard to fathom, as is Sotomayor's baffling decision to block the requirement until the case can be considered on its merits. The Little Sisters' case hangs on the absurd argument that the simple act of filling out the form — the whole point of which is to guarantee its freedom from the mandate — somehow represents a "substantial burden" on its exercise of religion. ..."