WASHINGTON (EWTN NEWS)—President Barack Obama attracted harsh criticism for a new policy that claims to accommodate the religious freedom of employers who say their conscience rights are being violated by the administration’s recent contraception mandate.
“This is a false ‘compromise’ designed to protect the president’s re-election chances, not to protect the right of conscience,” said Hannah Smith, senior lega counsel for Tthe Becket Fund for Religious Liberty.
Smith was one of many who responded to a Jan. 20 announcement of a new policy regarding a mandate that will require virtually all employers to purchase health-insurance plans that cover contraception, sterilization and drugs that cause abortion.
Amid a storm of protest from individuals and organizations who argued that the mandate infringed upon their freedom of conscience, Obama announced a new policy on Feb. 10, which he said “accommodates religious liberty.”
Instead of directly purchasing contraceptive coverage, the new policy will require many religious employers to contract with health-insurance companies that offer them free of charge.
However, the Becket Fund argued that “many religious organizations may still object to being forced to pay money to an insurance company which will turn around and provide contraception to its employees for free.”
The Becket Fund has filed three lawsuits on behalf of religious organizations that object to the mandate, including Catholic media network (and Register parent company) EWTN.
Michael Warsaw, president and CEO of EWTN and the publisher of the Register, said that he is “quite skeptical” that the changes will address the underlying concerns of religious freedom.
He explained that the accommodation “may not actually apply” to EWTN and similar organizations because they self-insure their health-care plans.
Therefore, Warsaw said, many companies “will still be forced to pay for these services in violation of our religious beliefs.”
Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, argued that “Obama’s latest ploy just adds insult to injury.”
“If the insurance plan of a Catholic institution must cover services it deems immoral, then such a health-care plan is offensive, plain and simple,” he said.
Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, agreed, saying that the new policy “does nothing to change the fundamentally anti-religious, anti-conscience and anti-life contraceptive mandate.”
He said that the “compromise” is based upon “paperwork gimmicks” that will not protect religious employers from being forced to pay for products that they believe to be immoral.
Perkins argued that the contraceptives will not actually be free “because the insurance companies will increase the premium and administrative costs to the employer.”
He called for legislation that will ensure that conscience rights are truly protected for all Americans.
Matthew Warner: Thank God for the HHS Mandate
Dan Burke: A Novena to the Mother of God for the United States
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Just saw Cardinal-elect Dolan’s response to Obama’s “accommodation.” I suppose that is the best response for him to make - until he finds out more details. But I certainly appreciate EWTN continuing to pursue legal options. Thank you, EWTN!
Obama was raised as a Muslim. It is not unfair to presume he might think as a Muslim. Obama’s agenda is to “fundamentally change” our nation, and he will do and say anything to achieve that objective.
Islam and jihad
8) The principle of al-Taqiyya
“Speaking is a means to achieve objectives. If a praiseworthy aim is attainable through both telling the truth and lying, it is unlawful to accomplish through lying because there is no need for it. When it is possible to achieve such an aim by lying but not telling the truth, it is permissible to lie if attaining the goal is permissible…and obligatory to lie if the goal is obligatory.”
—Abu Hammid Ghazali
i hope every priest give a sermom as much as possible til electon time so we wont forget espescily our catholic that want this because if the economy get better then they dont care money more inportant to them thn moral our lord set up tolive
I hope and pray that the Bishops of the United States will not be deceived by this “accomodation” as some “catholics” have been. Anyone who accepts the idea that a service payed for by an insurance policy is being payed for by the insurance company and not the purchaser of the policy is living in a world other than this one. If this passes muster, than how long will it take this president to tell the insurance companies that they must provide abortions for “free”. We must stand firm against this attack on our Faith, on our Religious Liberty, and yes, an attack on our God.
Planned Parenthood does not provide mammograms. They refer to another place. Their main business is providing abortions, for which they receive millions of dollars of taxpayer money. In addition, the bodies of aborted babies are used in research and in the cosmetic industry.
If this isn’t evil, what is?
What does it take to organize a Christian block of all denominations as an imposiing force for the election - isn’t that the question that we should be asking?
alot of people dont know what germany did in world war 2 his country didnt like life either only different he did it elegally and our country wants to do it legal. THATwhat happens when man thinks he god.
The culture of death has met the culture of life in open battle. Tired of waiting for slow atheistic secularization, forces of the culture of death have met the “Church of the Living God, the Pillar and Bulwark of the Truth” in open conflict. This is a battle for the truth and as such a battle for the Constitution. Our rights do not depend, nor are new ones manufactured, by any elected official. Our rights come from Almighty God. The strategy is to attack at the weakest point -the widespread acceptance of contraception in society. If that is accomplished, all manner of evils will follow.
we need him to resign hes know good for our country. empeach him
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