A Catholic Health Plan as Substandard Care

Today's New York Times reports on a new "Catholic" health plan offered as part of the package of choices given to federal employees:

The Bush administration has broken new ground in its "faith-based" initiative, this time by offering federal employees a Catholic health plan that specifically excludes payment for contraceptives, abortion, sterilization and artificial insemination.

Among a bevy of nonsensical quotes in the article, the prize for silliness goes to Frances Kissling:

Frances Kissling, president of Catholics for a Free Choice, an independent organization of Catholics who support reproductive choices, criticized the inclusion of a plan with such restrictions in the federal program.

"I don't think substandard medical care should be offered through the federal government," she said.

So now not only does the group Catholics for a Free Choice stand for the availability of procedures like abortion, sterilization, artificial insemination, and contraceptives, but if individuals choose to forego those procedures, they have subjected themselves to substandard health care? This certainly gives some indication of the particular conception of "choice" with which the group is concerned.

Rob