Manassas, VA – Belmont Abbey College in
North Carolina has amended the health insurance plan provided by its
carrier to remove coverage for abortions, voluntary sterilizations and
contraception. The provisions allowing these practices were
recently discovered. and the college moved quickly to rectify the
situation. The college has since been faced with complaints
from a few employees to state and federal agencies, but remains
undaunted.
President William Thierfelder said, As a Roman Catholic institution,
Belmont Abbey College is not able to and will not offer nor subsidize
medical services that contradict the clear teaching of the Catholic
Church. There was no other course of action possible if we
were to operate in fidelity to our mission and to our identity as a
Catholic college.
According to Cardinal Newman Society (CNS) president Patrick J. Reilly,
Belmont Abbey is a faithful Catholic college, and this action
reinforces it. We applaud the steadfastness of President
Thierfelder and Abbot Placid Solari, the college chancellor, in keeping
fidelity to Catholic teachings a clear priority of the institution.
Reilly noted that the college was undaunted by complaints filed by a
few personnel with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
and the North Carolina Department of Insurance. He said, We
hope that these few disgruntled employees will be rebuffed in their
efforts to use the power of government to intervene in a matter of
faith.
I have heard good things about Belmont Abbey and it is no surprise that
his is where Patrick Madrid has chosen to setup his Envoy Institute.
8 comments
Congratulations to Belmont Abbey and the B A College.
Right down the street from me. Hats off to you Belmont Abbey.
That’s where my husband started his college career. I’m happy to hear this good news.
Thanks for supporting our college. I’m a student here…and I am here specifically because of the commitment that Abbot Placid and Dr. Thierfelder have to offering an institution which is loyal to the Catholic Church and her teachings for students like me.
What great news! Employers have every right to decide what their health plan covers, especially in this day and age when the majority of insurance companies are “administrative services only.” Employers are actually paying the claims, not the insurance company.
My friend goes there, Im glad to hear this 🙂
I too am affiliated with BAC and will assure you the majority of the student body does not share the sentiments of “suaso”. what gives you the right to tell other people what they can and cannot do with their lives? the fact of the matter remains the school is breaking North Carolina state law and the school itself has argued in past court cases that the school is a secular institution thus negating its ability in the eyes of the law to set restrictions on prescription coverage. So all of you stop shoving your noses in other peoples business, you are not the moral authority in the world.
Actually, lots of students love what the President and the Abbot are doing. The college is not breaking the law. The college has a legal religious exemption from the insurance commission. The Profs who filed this EEOC complaint have been notified of Belmont Abbey’s religious exception, yet they continue with the misinformation. And by the way, since the insurance commision says that Bemont Abbey qualifies as a religious institution–it does. Even if it doesn’t for the sake of federal loan–their criteria are different.
By the way it is the college’s business because benefits are paid for by the college and the college is owned by the Monks. This is a private college. If you think is it stupid go else where.
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