Should the federal government require religiously affiliated employers to cover the cost of their employees' birth control?

Good grief! Into which area will the federal government next stick its over-sized nose? The use or non-use of birth control is surely a private decision. Those who want it can purchase their own; the cost is not prohibitive.

If legislators decided to offer free insulin to diabetics or free inoculations to children, it would be much more beneficial for the population as a whole. There would be no cries of outrage; in fact the waves of gratitude which would follow such decisions would win the governing party many votes in upcoming elections.

However, if the government is determined to offer free birth control to every employee in the land, should the employers not have a say in the matter? Many would accept; others, such as religiously affiliated employers, would decline. For example, Roman Catholic hospitals, school boards, child care agencies and other institutions are against artificial means of birth control. They don't want these freebies and should not be forced to accept them.

If the government autocratically enforces this policy of availability of free birth control to every employee, then those employers who wish to decline should certainly not be forced to pay for it. It would be much more just to have the cost deducted from the wages of those legislators who enacted and enforced the policy.

Birth control and abortion are hot-button religious issues. The decisions on if, when and how the means of avoiding pregnancy, or of terminating one, are personal, private and highly emotional decisions for those involved. Every argument for and against each issue should be considered before any decisions are made.

Roman Catholics and some Evangelical Christians believe that the foetus is a human being from the moment of conception. Therefore, to deliberately destroy a child through abortion is legalized murder.

Similarly, to attempt to thwart, through artificial means, God's intent and power to create a new human person , is also sinful. There are means of natural birth control available to Catholic married couples who wish to plan their families responsibly.

If birth control devices were as available as jelly beans in a candy dish, young or emotionally-immature women would probably consider them a licence to indulge in increasingly promiscuous behavior. Does our society really need more of this type of conduct?

The American government has long insisted on a policy of separation of church and state. By his determination to impose this legislation on every employer, President Obama is deviating from this long-established principle. He is trying to force Catholic employers, and those of other faiths who oppose artificial birth control, to make contraceptives available to their employees. To add insult to injury, he would have these employers assume the cost of doing so.

This is unacceptable. The President of the United States and his cohorts should busy themselves with the well being and security of the nation and the promotion of world peace. Their over-sized noses are neither needed nor wanted in matters concerning the personal reproductive issues affecting American citizens.