Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. ~ First Amendment to the U .S. Constitution
Despite guarantees by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, the Obama administration continues in its quest to chip away at our Constitutional rights. The Health and Human Services mandate requiring employers to provide insurance that covers contraceptives, sterilizations, and abortive drugs is just the latest.
The Obama administration continues to present itself and its recent mandate as the champions of women’s healthcare and reproductive services. At the same time, the opposition led by the Catholic Church, has taken the position that the mandate intrudes upon the sacred First Amendment right and guarantee of religious freedom. The Catholic Church is not alone in this fight. Many Evangelical Christians and Jews have voiced their concerns as well and are standing with the Church.
In a recent letter to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), newly installed Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan addresses the fact that the administration is characterizing the controversy as one about contraception. The administration is giving the impression that this is about access to women’s healthcare. Cardinal Dolan wrote, “They [the Obama administration] know that this is not just about sterilization, abortifacients, and chemical contraception. It’s about religious freedom, the sacred right of any Church to define its own teaching and ministry.”
Staff from the USCCB met with White House staff to discuss concerns about religious liberty and in that meeting, USCCB staff asked if “revisiting the straight-jacketing mandates, or broadening the maligned exemption—are all off the table. They were informed that they are.” Instead of trying to work things out to the satisfaction of both sides, representatives of the White House suggested that the Catholic Church should listen to the “‘enlightened’ voices of accommodation.”
While the bishops are keeping the door open to further discussions with the Oval Office, they are not waiting for any accommodation from that quarter, especially since the White House has “already notified Congress that the dreaded mandates have been published in the Federal Registry ‘without change.’” Instead, they are looking to Congress for recourse. They had hoped to find some in the Senate last week with the Blunt Amendment.
Before a vote on a transportation bill last week, Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO) presented an amendment that would have allowed employers to refuse to cover certain health services. The amendment failed, and as the Cardinal wrote in his letter: our opponents sought to obscure what is really a religious freedom issue by maintaining that abortion inducing drugs and the like are a “woman’s health issue.” We will not let this deception stand.
For their part, the House of Representatives has proposed several pieces of legislation to protect life and religious liberty, including the Life at Conception Act sponsored by Representative Duncan D. Hunter (R-CA) and co-sponsored by 113 other representatives.
In a recent press release, Bishop William Lori, Chairman of the conference’s Ad Hoc Committee on Religious Liberty, stated: “We will build on this base of support as we pursue legislation in the House of Representatives, urge the Administration to change its course on this issue, and explore our legal rights under the Constitution and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.”
So if the administration thinks the Catholic Church and its supporters will meekly accept their edict and go about their business, they may have a rude awakening ahead of them.
