Contraception and Catholicism

Regardless of whether the issue has been resolved legally speaking as of this writing (and to my knowledge it has), a proposed mandate that religious institutions pay for female contraception has sparked a, let's say interesting, discourse in this nation at the center of which is the question "Does it violate my institutional religious freedom to be told that I must pay for contraception when the concept of contraception is against my religious beliefs?"  This, to my mind, is a fascinating question.  I would not normally tackle an issue like this because, in spite of my gender, I am not particularly interested in women's issues; however this one strikes me as important because this one, at its core, is political.  Purely and completely political.  Of course there is the issue of religious freedom, which I am all for.  I think it is one of the things that makes this country great.  The 1st and the 19th amendments are my favorites (don't think I'm a dork, I like freedoms and voting).  But, because of the language that this issue has taken on, the issue of institutional religious freedom versus personal religious freedom has become a political battle. Because The Church (by which I mean The Vatican or The Holy Roman Catholic and Apostolic Church) picks its battles in the secular arena.  In the social justice arena, the Catholic Church does, has done, and will very probably continue to do wonderful things.  Feeding, clothing, and sheltering the needy is a task that must be done and, when the federal government can't handle it, it is a task that is very often assumed by religious institutions.  However, we now see candidates in the Republican field who are either Catholic or supported by some Catholics who support the death penalty and/or have been divorced.  While St. Thomas Aquinas may have been resolutely in favor of the death penalty, that view has fallen somewhat out of favor of late.  Divorce is also generally accepted by the Catholic laity.  It happens in America.  It's as simple as that.  These are not issues that can be brought up as issues of doctrine because they happen in America.  The Catholic Church can't come out saying that we, as a nation, can't use the death penalty or grant divorces because it violates their religious freedom; yet Catholic institutions can come out and say that they refuse to pay for female contraception as part of their insurance plans for that reason.  It would seem that The Church has chosen it's battle ground.  And those who support this view seem to fight their battles with the language of persecution. It's like Rick Santorum saying that JFK's speech on religious tolerance made him throw up a little because he interpreted it to mean that people of faith have no place in the public arena.  This is simply not the case.  Some of our arguably best presidents would be completely unelectable today because of their perceived lack of faith and none of today's candidates would be electable 50-60 years ago because they talk about their faith too much (among other reasons).  No religion is persecuted in the United States of America.  Mocked? Sure.  People are terrible and intolerant.  But we as Americans do not persecute anyone.  We have come a long way, as people, from issuing the Jeremiads of the Puritan days.  Unfortunately, it seems our national discourse has regressed.  Ultimately, the question of contraception comes down to the golden rule.  An institution has a right to abide by its religious and moral convictions, but it cannot infringe on the rights of those who work for their institution who are not of the same faith.  Do unto others, man.  It's that simple.