Republican presidential candidates and the conservative blogosphere accuse President Obama of being out of touch for not allowing the Catholic hierarchy to dictate our health care regulations. But it is the Vatican that is out of touch with Americans, including their own parishioners.
A 2011 Guttmacher Institute survey finds 98% of sexually active Catholic women have used contraceptives. A February 2012 Public Religion Research Institute poll finds that by a 58% to 37% margin, Catholics agreed with the statement, “All employers should be required to provide their employees with health care plans that cover contraception at no cost.”
This is not the only issue on which the Catholic hierarchy is out of touch. Numerous polls find Catholics overwhelmingly disagree with their hierarchy’s handling of sex abuse cases. They disagree with hierarchy’s practice of not reporting cases to police and transferring, rather than dismissing, offenders.
Catholics overwhelmingly disagree with the ban on married priests. By similar, nearly 3 to 1 margins, they disagree with the ban on female priests. Survey results here.
The 2010 General Social Survey finds Americans nearly evenly split on allowing abortions for any reason. But all religions, including Catholics, overwhelmingly agree women should be given that right if raped, the pregnancy threatens their health, or if the fetus has a genetic defect. Even a majority who identify as “strong Republican” agree women should be allowed to abort under those conditions.
Why should President Obama, or any President, be expected to bow to the Catholic hierarchy, a hierarchy who doesn’t even listen to it’s own parishioners.