Contraception Provision Sets Off Firestorm
Religious Based News
The Obama administration reaffirmed its position that certain religious institutions have to provide health coverage that offers free contraception. U.S. Catholic bishops are vowing to fight this rule in Congress, in courts, and in churches. Host Michel Martin speaks with Laurie Goodstein of the New York Times.
Source: Religion
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Obamacare Contraception Provision Sets Firestorm (Hover)
President Obama today announced a compromise in the dispute over whether to require full contraception insurance coverage for female employees at religiously affiliated institutions.
Under the new plan, religiously affiliated universities and hospitals will not be forced to offer contraception coverage to their employees. Insurers will be required, however, to offer complete coverage free of charge to any women who work at such institutions.
Female employees at churches themselves will have no guarantee of any contraception coverage -- a continuation of current law. Ref. CNN
Barbara Boxer: Right to Insurance Trumps Religious Freedom
Barbara Boxer, the leading pro-abortion member of the U.S. Senate, made some comments in a recent MSNBC interview that are sparking outrage across the Internet today. Boxer essentially says the right to insurance trumps religious rights and freedoms.
The comments came during an interview concerning the controversial mandate pro-abortion President Barack Obama put in place recently requiring religious groups to pay for insurance coverage for birth control and drugs that may cause abortions.
As the Washington Examiner reports: Senator Boxer warned yesterday that if the HHS contraception mandate was repealed it would set a dangerous precedence of religious rights trumping the right to be insured. Ref. Source 2
Dozens of Pro-Lifers Arrested at White House Opposing HHS Mandate
Over the weekend, two dozen pro-life advocates were arrested at the White House for praying and holding pro-life signs protesting President Obama's pro-abortion HHS mandate.
"Obamacare will force institutions, churches and individuals to purchase abortion-inducing drugs and pay for sterilization and abortion in direct opposition to their beliefs, conscience and historic teachings of the Church," the group of people said in a statement. "With the recent Supreme Court ruling affirming Obamacare, the future of religious freedom in America is at risk and in grave danger of being entirely wiped out." Ref. Source 4
Court Rules Obama HHS Mandate Doesn't Protect Religious Liberty
In what a pro-life legal group describes as a "landmark ruling against the HHS Mandate," a federal judge late yesterday ruled against the Obama administration's assertion that the government's supposed 'safe harbor" was inadequate to protect religious organizations from suffering imminent harm.
"We are pleased the court recognized the significant harm that the mandate is causing right now," said Eric Baxter, Senior Counsel for the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. Ref. Source 5
Hobby Lobby CEO Pens Tragic Letter About Loss of Religious Freedom
The CEO of Hobby Lobby has penned a tragic letter about the loss of religious freedom and liberty in America. The Christian crafts company has been forced by the Obama administration to pay for drugs for its employees in their health care plan that may cause abortions.
Doing so violates the religious freedom of the founders and owners of Hobby Lobby, but the firm has, so far, been unsuccessful in getting courts to give it an exemption while its lawsuit against the HHS mandate continues. Ref. Source 5
Women who work for religious-affiliated organizations can have contraceptive services under their health insurance through separate coverage while allowing their employers not to violate their religious beliefs by exempting them from paying for it, according to a proposed regulation issued Friday by the Department of Health and Human Services. Ref. USAToday
New Bill Would Stop Obama Admin's Assault on Religious Freedom
Members of Congress have announced a press conference for tomorrow, during which they will announce a new major bill to stop the Obama administration's assault on pro-life religious freedom via the HHS mandate.
Congressmen Diane Black (R-TN), Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE), and John Fleming, M.D. (R-LA), are behind the introduction of the Health Care Conscience Rights Act (HCCRA) that would protect Americans" First Amendment rights and would stop the Obama Administration's HHS mandate from forcing religious groups to pay for drugs that may cause abortions in their employee health care plans. Ref. Source 5