Bishop Lori Addresses House Judiciary Committee

HHS Mandate Creates Absurd Results, Bishop Lori Tells House Judiciary Committee

Right of Conscience Vote in U.S. Senate Tomorrow—Urgent Calls Needed

From the Home School Legal Defense Association:

We have previously urged you to call the U.S. Senate to support Amendment No. 1520, the Respect for Rights of Conscience Act, by Senator Roy Blunt (MO). This amendment to the Senate’s Transportation Bill would protect religious freedom and conscience rights, and would ensure that employers are not forced by the federal government to violate their religious beliefs or conscience as a result of the recent Obama Administration mandate requiring all employers to give employees free birth control and abortion-inducing drugs.

The Senate will vote on Amendment No. 1520 tomorrow, Thursday, March 1. The vote is expected to be extremely close.

Please immediately call (because of the short time, phone calls, not emails, are best) your two U.S. senators and urge them to support this crucial amendment. You can reach the Capitol Switchboard (and ask to be transferred to your senators’ offices) at 202-224-3121 or use HSLDA’s Congressional Directory to enter your ZIP code and find your senators’ phone numbers.

Your message can be as simple as the following:

“Please support Senator Blunt’s Amendment No. 1520, the Respect for Rights of Conscience Act, which will overturn President Obama’s contraceptives mandate requiring employers to violate their conscience and religious beliefs. To protect the sanctity of the First Amendment and the right of conscience upon which our nation was founded, the U.S. Senate must act to preserve the freedom of employers to follow the dictates of their conscience.”

Thank you for standing with us for freedom.

What's so bad about the mandate?

Here are two great articles showing why the HHS contraceptive effort is intolerable and how religious leaders from all denominations are banding together in support of each other and in opposition to the Obama Administration and its mandate.

The first is from the Catholic News Agency:

US clergy declare 'state of emergency' over contraception mandate

 

The second is by the Baptist Press:

500-member religious coalition rejects mandate

 

Talking Points

The High Plains Freedom blog has been created by the High Plains Freedom Coalition to spread the message of the importance of Religious Freedom and the current threats to it in these United States. The High Plains Freedom Coalition is a group of concerned citizens here in the Texas High Plains. The coalition was formed in response to the recent HHS mandate issued by the Obama Administration. This mandate requires all employers to provide coverage for abortion-inducing drugs, regardless of their faith or their belief in the dignity of every human person. We believe this mandate poses grave threats to our religious liberty and must be repealed. This is exactly what we are working towards.

This issue can be difficult to speak about, particularly if we don't feel like we're educated on the issue of Religious Freedom or if we have trouble coming up with the right words. Don't worry, we're here to help. Below is a list of talking points specifically designed to help you in your conversations with others.

·         This issue is about America, and whether or not Freedom of Religion will be respected and protected by the law of the land.

·         Religious freedom is not just for religious groups. It is a right of every American, indeed, every human being. All federal policy must allow every business, individual and organization to live and make decisions in a way that does not violate their religious principles.

·         The recent HHS mandate is an attempt to redefine Freedom of Religion as Freedom of Worship. There is a world of difference between the two. Freedom of Worship only grants a citizen the freedom to gather in a church, synagogue, temple or other religious building to worship in a manner that reflects their religious beliefs. Freedom of Religion includes Freedom of Worship, but it also includes the freedom to bring one’s faith to the market place, to his business practices and to the way education, health care and charity is provided. Freedom of Religion is protected by the Constitution but is now formally under attack by the Obama Administration.

·         The government cannot take it upon itself to define Christianity or any other faith. The government cannot restrict the essence of Christianity to Worship and neglect the essential aspect of living our faith. The apostolates of education, health care and charity are the essence of the Gospel, but will be taken away or dramatically limited if the mandate is not repealed or rewritten to protect Freedom of Religion.

·         As it currently stands, the HHS mandate will require all Catholic hospitals, universities and charitable organizations to defy its religious principles or pay heavy fines.

·         The "accommodation" announced on February 10, even if implemented, does not change the moral or legal problems involved in the mandate. Religious organizations still face coerced cooperation.

·         Accommodations for religious freedom have been the norm in federal law for many years and it is long overdue that they be permitted by the health care reform law as well.