February 9, 2012 - 3:02pm
Washington Post political writer Melinda Henneberger shockingly
stated, Wednesday, that "maybe the Founders were wrong" to guarantee
religious liberty. Henneberger appeared on Hardball to discuss the Obama administration's decision to force the Catholic Church to provide birth control in health care.
Discussing the battle between the left and those who see it as a threat to the First Amendment, she declared, " Maybe
the Founders were wrong to guarantee free exercise of religion in the
First Amendment but that is what they did and I don't think we have to
choose here. " Henneberger's awkward comment came as she attempted to defend the Catholic Church. [MP3 audio here. ]
Host Chris Matthews speculated about the Catholic Church capitulating:
"Can you imagine them saying we give up? We're going to provide full
insurance coverage with no co-pay for everything now defined by the FDA
as birth control...They're going to go for this?"
Henneberger shot back, "That will never happen."
She added, "...What [the Obama administration is] doing is guaranteeing
people, you know, these Catholic outfits and others can't serve the
populations that they were called to serve. But, it does not have to
come to that."
Henneberger's larger point was defensive of the Catholic Church and of
religious liberty. However, her comment on the First Amendment was
poorly phrased.
A transcript of the February 8 segment, which aired at 5:20pm EST, follows:
CHRIS
MATTHEWS: There you have the ideological argument from the left, I
suppose, the progressives in this country. You heard it well-spoken
there, I believe, Melinda, they see it as an argument over whether
you're allowed to have birth control or getting covered as part of the
insurance or not. The Catholic Church and those who are looking at the
interests of the, well, the First Amendment if you will, as they see it
look at it differently. Explain this distinction and how you look at the
interests involved, the conflicts, the rights involved here.
MELINDA HENNEBERGER (Washington Post): I just think the two sides
can't hear each other, not that there is anything unusual about that.
But I know in my own conversations with friends, I'm saying, "First
Amendment, First Amendment, First Amendment." And what I hear back is,
"Wow. I had no idea you, you didn't believe in birth control." You know,
this really is seen widely among Catholics and people of other faiths
as an attack on religious liberty. Maybe the Founders were wrong
to guarantee free exercise of religion in the First Amendment, but that
is what they did and I don't think we have to choose here. The key is
that I think there are ways we can go about this where, without
infringing on any concern about a woman's health, we can still guarantee
religious liberty without which, I mean, there is no way this is going
to stand in the court but it's also a huge political liability.
MATTHEWS: Okay. You say there is no way it's going to stand in
the court. Let's assume there is no legislation that gets signed by the
President. Let's assume it stands between this who's going to blink
thing. Let's ask, will the Catholic Church, let's ask, blink? Can you
imagine them saying we give up. We're going to provide full insurance
coverage with no co-pay for everything now defined by the FDA as birth
control. They're going to do it. They're going to go for this?
HENNEBERGER: That actually can never happen so they would have to
literally go- I mean, what Sister Carol Keehan is saying who runs the
Catholic Health association, do I really have to choose between the call
that I think came from Jesus to serve the have nots in this world and
the government telling me that I have to do something that goes against
my faith? I mean, this really- that will never happen so what they're
doing is guaranteeing people, you know, these Catholic outfits and
others can't serve the populations that they were called to serve. But,
it does not have to come to that.
— Scott Whitlock is the senior news analyst for the Media Research Center. Click here to follow him on Twitter.
