Today during a conversation with a co-worker on politics, I brought up my growing concern with President Obama's over-reaching government actions, using the "Contraception Mandate" being heavily discussed among the conservative political sphere as a most recent example. She is a self-proclaimed "Obama Girl", so I tread lightly. She had no idea what I was talking about. I gave her a brief summary, and she said "I just can't believe that is true." I assured her it is. She said, "It sounds 'alarmist' to me. It just can't be true." I said, "I know! It sounds ridiculous, but it is true." She asked a few more questions, I gave her the little knowledge I had absorbed from articles here and there. But she wasn't buying that it was a real story. I left a little unsure myself! So as someone who habitually wants to know what she's talking about, I did some more reading up.
- Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was signed into law by President Obama on March 23, 2010.
- March 24, 2010 President Obama signed Executive Order 13535 ensuring that, "longstanding Federal laws to protect conscience remain intact and new protections prohibit discrimination against health care facilities and health care providers because of an unwillingness to provide, pay for, provide coverage of, or refer for abortions." He continued that it is the responsibility of "numerous agencies, including the Department of Health and Human Services..." ensuring that "these restrictions are enforced".
- A News Release from the Department of Health and Human Services on August 1, 2011, stated that the "administration released an amendment to the 'prevention regulation' that allows religious institutions that offer insurance to their employee's the choice of whether or not to cover contraception services."
- January 20, 2012, a statement by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius reversed the previously mentioned amendment stating that the "final rule on preventive health services will ensure that women with health insurance coverage will have access to the full range of the Institute of Medicine’s recommended preventive services, including all FDA -approved forms of contraception." The report continued that, "Nonprofit employers who, based on religious beliefs, do not currently provide contraceptive coverage in their insurance plan, will be provided an additional year, until August 1, 2013, to comply with the new law."
Thank God for Catholics! (And I mean that, thank you God for Catholics for being on top of this!) I doubt I would have been aware of this half page flip-flop statement from Sect Sebelius if it wasn't for the Catholics shouting it from their pulpits! The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops wrote a scathing news release calling the decision "literally unconscionable" and "in effect, the President is saying we have a year to figure out how to violate our consciences.... The government should not force Americans to act as if pregnancy is a disease to be prevented at all costs...This is nothing less than a direct attack on religion and First Amendment rights...The Obama administration has now drawn an unprecedented line in the sand".
I agree, Cardinal-designate Timothy Dolan, President of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. And I am standing on the side of the Catholics, and all those "conscience guided" individuals who believe that this is a violation of religious freedom! On an interesting note, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, aka the Mormons, began a "Religious Freedom Series" January 3, 2012. Although I have only skimmed through the three part series, a statement stuck out to me. "Religoius freedom is not simply the freedom to worship or to believe the way one chooses...it is the human right to think, act upon and express what one deeply believes according to the dictates of his or her moral conscience. In fact, religious freedom has always been understood in conjunction with 'freedom of conscience' - the liberty to develop and hold moral convictions and to act accordingly."
