I am a practicing Catholic. I voted for Barack Obama in 2008 and I plan to vote for him in November.  I believe that health care is a universal right, that life begins at conception, that separation of church and state means that the government should not intrude on the rights and practices of religious organizations and also that no religious organization has the right to intrude on the ability of the government to implement laws that benefit the public.

In the recent debate about the decision of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to require health insurance plans to cover contraception drugs, regardless of religious affiliation, it is not President Obama but the leaders of the American Catholic Church that are wrong.

I do not begrudge those who wish to have an informative, substantial debate about religion’s place in government. However, I refuse to accept the demagoguery coming from the conservative right and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) decrying this move as an attack on religious freedom.

While some argue that this is a blazing attempt by Obama to control the Church, I argue that this is simply a matter of that funny thing called the separation of church and state. The number-one payer to hospitals and health care providers in this country is Medicare, followed by Medicaid.

Medicare and Medicaid are two government-run programs that provide health care coverage for citizens 65 years and older or those below the poverty line, respectively. In 2010, according to the 2011 Medicare Trustees Report, Medicare alone paid out $516 billion in claims. There is no doubt that fine Catholic-aligned institutions received their fair share of that pot.

Let me ask: If a Catholic institution is receiving funds from the federal government, why should it not also have to abide by federal law?

Religious institutions are barred from receiving tax breaks from the state – Saint Louis University argued to the Missouri Supreme Court that it was not a religious-run institution to receive a tax break from the city of St. Louis to fund Chaifetz Arena in 2007 – so why should they be exempt from any other public law? If the Church wishes to be clear of providing health coverage that is contrary to its practicing beliefs, then it has a clear option: Refuse to accept Medicare and Medicaid payments. Would Catholic organizations prefer to refuse these programs, potentially reducing the amount of care they can provide for the sick elderly and poor, or accept that they will have to make available contraceptives to their employees?

Neither Obama nor DHHS is asking Catholic institutions to hand out Plan B pills or perform abortions; simply, they must comply with a law that all public institutions shall adhere to.

Therefore, there is a separation between the church and the state. The Obama Administration’s exception after the uproar – announced on Friday, Feb. 10 – for Catholic institutions should be celebrated, and yet, astonishingly, the USCCB is still up in arms with the controversy of alleged First Amendment violations from the government.

When 52 percent of Catholics agree with Obama’s policy — and a Public Policy Survey noted that over 68 percent of Catholic women have used contraceptives and 90 percent have had premarital sex — maybe it is the Catholic Church that should be revising its policies. Again, to be clear, the mandate from DHHS only requires that birth control be an option to employees as part of their health coverage, not that the institution must supply it to the employee. That is a very big difference.

Insofar as the argument about the intrusion into the religious liberties of Americans, consider this: On Sunday, Feb. 5, Cardinal-elect Timothy Dolan asked clergy around the United States to remark about the DHHS mandate during their Homily sermon. Dolan issued a “call-to-arms” to the members of the congregation to “restore religious liberty” to the United States.

The Church’s decision to lecture its members about public policy is disgusting, disappointing and absolutely inappropriate.

It is the clergy’s duty to discern for us what God’s teaching on a particular matter is and then let us, as individuals of faith in good conscience, make personal and private decisions based on our own convictions. Perhaps the biggest violation of the First Amendment in this debacle is Dolan’s decision to have his letter read aloud in Mass. As an American, I am horrified. Why is it that the Catholic Church cannot evolve in its ideals?

Consider: “We must stay united in our determination to prevent unintended pregnancies, support pregnant women and mothers, reduce the need for abortion, encourage healthy relationships and promote adoption.”

If you thought that quote came from Pope Benedict XVI, you would be mistaken. Attribute that to the 44th President of the United States: Barack Obama.

Derrick Neuner is a senior in the Doisy College of Health Sciences.