Religious Employers and Contraception - NYTimes.com Re "Contraception, Against Conscience," by Michael P. Warsaw, the president and chief executive of EWTN Global Catholic Network (Op-Ed, Feb. 22): Insurance coverage for contraception is not an issue of small business, the economy or religion. It is a matter of health. As a physician (family medicine), I have seen far too many patients denied care because of religious refusals embedded in their insurance. As a patient, I want my doctors practicing medicine founded on the best scientific evidence, and I want our health care policies to follow suit. The Institute of Medicine has determined that birth control should be considered an essential health benefit, as it is fundamental to the health of our families and our communities. It is time for employers and insurers to accept medical reality. The writer is a fellow with Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health. Michael P. Warsaw's objections to regulations requiring insurance companies to provide women with access to contraception coverage are badly misplaced. First, the Obama administration has announced its intent to take employers with religious objections like Mr. Warsaw, including those who self-insure, out of the process, while still ensuring coverage for women. It is disingenuous to claim that having any business affiliation with a company that happens to provide separate coverage for contraception services somehow infringes on a religious employer's faith. No one is forced to use contraception against her beliefs, and religious people and institutions are still free to preach against its use. The ultimate decision is left to the employee's conscience, not that of her employer. Second, taking a job at a hospital, university or TV station is not the same as joining a church. Employers that hire people of all faiths need to play by public rules. It makes no more sense for an employer to dictate what health care services an employee may receive any more than it does to have control over how an employee spends her salary. Employers should not be able to use religion as an excuse to discriminate by providing their employees with substandard health care insurance. I'm glad to see that Michael P. Warsaw of EWTN is challenging the Obama administration's contraception mandate and that a lawsuit has been filed on the network's behalf. It's unfortunately true that Catholics are a divided lot, but I'm encouraged that EWTN and the American bishops are opposing the unjust mandate. The writer is a Catholic columnist at RenewAmerica.com.