University of Notre Dame Reverses Policy – Will Allow Health Insurance to Provide Contraception Products

Why the Change? No Reason Given

There are a large number of religious sects who believe that using contraception is immoral. That's fine. Nobody ever wants to force them to do so. But most of the sects also believe they have the right to force their religious views on others and in the case of religious sponsored employers they want to use the power of the employer to do so. Which brings us to the strange case of the University of Notre Dame, full time professional football team sponsor and part time educational institution.

Notre Dame announced on Tuesday that faculty, students, and staff will be able to obtain coverage for contraceptives through their university-sponsored insurance plans. The surprise decision is a reversal of the school’s announcement last week that it would discontinue birth-control coverage in light of new religious-freedom protections put in place by the Trump administration.

The school spent years and what is likely millions of dollars fighting the requirement that they allow their health insurers provide contraception coverage independent of the school, and finally won. Then they changed their minds. No reason given.

We would like to think that someone at the school realized that contraception usage reduced abortions and so that it was not only not against doctrine but helped in a cause the religious sponsor of the school felt very strongly about. But that would require a confluence of logic and religion.