The nation’s Roman Catholic bishops and religious conservatives are backing new legislation that would prevent Obamacare from requiring insurance coverage of abortion or contraception.
For background, read Raise Health Insurance Rates, White House Plans: Birth Control
-- From "Catholic Bishops Urge Congress to Advance Conscience-Protection Legislation" by Patrick Ryan, CNSNews.com 7/25/11
H.R. 1179, the Respect for Rights of Conscience Act, would prevent any new mandates under health-care reform from being used to disregard Americans’ freedom of conscience, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) said.
[Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston] said the legislation, sponsored by Reps. Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.) and Dan Boren (D-Okla.), is especially needed in light of a July 19 report, issued by the Institute of Medicine, which calls on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to provide free contraceptives for women through Obamacare.
Mandi Campbell, the legal director for the Liberty Center for Law and Policy, said . . . the federal government spends $16.50 on contraceptives or comprehensive sex education programs for every $1 it spends on abstinence education.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "In Wake of Proposed Contraceptive Mandate, Cardinal DiNardo Urges Congress to Support Respect for Rights of Conscience Act" by George Vogt, Catholic US News 7/25/11
“Those who sponsor, purchase and issue health plans should not be forced to violate their deeply held moral and religious convictions in order to take part in the health care system or provide for the needs of their families or their employees,” wrote Cardinal DiNardo. “To force such an unacceptable choice would be as much a threat to universal access to health care as it is to freedom of conscience.”
Cardinal DiNardo said that respect for conscience rights in health care has received bipartisan support for decades. He cited examples such as the Church amendment, which protects participants in federal health programs from being discriminated against for their objection to abortion, sterilization and other procedures, and the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, which exempts religiously affiliated health plans from any contraceptive mandate.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
