Isn’t it a shame when we live in a time when we want to applaud someone for simply doing what they are supposed to do? Well, that is the case with Xavier University.
Let’s give credit where credit is due. Xavier University, a Catholic institution, announced last week that it is reversing its previous decision and will provide contraception coverage in its employees’ health-insurance plan. It’s encouraging to see a Catholic institution embrace true religious freedom by allowing employees to make personal choices based on their own beliefs and what is best for their health and the well-being of their families.
The controversy started last spring when Xavier University employees learned that their health insurance would no longer cover birth control unless it was necessary for medical purposes. The university president wrote in a letter to employees that “as a Catholic priest and as president of a Catholic university, I have concluded that, absent a legal mandate, it is inconsistent for a Catholic institution to cover those drugs and procedures the Church opposes.” But Catholic universities like Xavier University employ people from all faiths, and those employees should have the same rights and benefits that other employees have.
The policy was reconsidered after many employees, students, and alumni expressed their displeasure with the sudden change.
