Catholics Bishops Oppose Birth Control Compromise Last Friday, President Obama offered religious leaders his latest (unnecessary) compromise on the so-called birth control mandate. As David Firestone wrote on this blog, he first exempted churches, then dealt with the initial objections of religiously affiliated institutions (which employ and serve people who are not adherents of their faiths). When these institutions complained that not even a dollar of their insurance premiums should go toward contraception, Mr. Obama went a big step further by requiring insurance companies to offer stand-alone birth-control plans directly to employees. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, a tax-exempt organization that spends an awful lot of time and money on politics, promised to review the latest plan. Lo and behold, they hate it. In a statement, the conference president, Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, claimed that - despite the separate policy accommodation - "there remains the possibility that ministries may yet be forced to fund and facilitate" what he called "morally illicit activities." He listed a series of objections but it seems obvious that he will never be satisfied. The Catholic Church will object to any mandate that results in birth control coverage for any of its church workers, employees of religiously affiliated institutions or even employees of private businesses whose owners don't think women should use contraceptives. In his statement, Cardinal Dolan said, "We will affirm any genuine progress that is made, and we will redouble our efforts to overcome obstacles or setbacks." I find that impossible to believe. From the start, the Church has used the mandate controversy to try to get the government to do what it has failed to do through preaching and dictates from the Pope - prevent Catholic women from accessing birth control to manage their reproductive lives so they can bear children when they choose and, equally important, participate in the work force. According to the Guttmacher Institute, more than 99% of women aged 15-44 who have ever had sexual intercourse have used at least one contraceptive method. That includes a large slice of American Catholics and members of other religions that oppose birth control. The birth control mandate is long overdue. The original version was just fine and did not violate anyone's religious freedom. (Anyone who objects to birth control can simply choose not to take it. Actual churches were exempt from the mandate.) But the president felt some changes were justified. Mr. Obama likes to believe that consensus or at least compromise is always possible. It's an admirable trait in the abstract, but in reality he often reaches out to people who are not interested in compromise - like Congressional Republicans and the Bishops Conference. Perhaps Cardinal Dolan's response will make the president realize that it's time to move on. The Bishops Conference is free to try to stop him from being re-elected in four years. Oh wait, he won't be running again 2016.