Letter: Different view on insurance

First, the proposed law could be interpreted to mandate all forms of abortion coverage. These proposed contraceptive mandates attack religious freedom and the conscience rights of those who object to providing or paying for artificial contraception. In this proposed legislation there appears no "conscience language."

Conscience clauses protect conscientious objection based on religious and moral grounds in capital punishment, abortion and sterilization. This bill, as written, is open-ended and may be construed to include any number of procedures: unlimited access to fertility drugs, induced abortion and in vitro fertilization.

In your editorial you failed to ask a very important question: "Can the state government force an individual or institution against conscience to pay for procedures that the individual finds morally offensive?"

I hope in further editorials you will study all the ramifications of policies you endorse.

Daniel F. Walsh, Catholic Bishop, Las Vegas diocese

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