White House Press Secretary Jay Carney states that he does not think that the Department of Health and Human Services regulation requiring employers to pay for insurance coverage for “contraceptive services” raises any constitutional issues. He also claims that the Obama administration supports “existing conscience protections.” He was responding to a question from a reporter who described the adverse response of the American Catholic bishops as “a pretty extraordinary situation.” Many of the bishops have said that they will not comply with the law. Asked if that would have consquences, Carney avoided the question. [See “It was a pretty extraordinary situation . . .”]
Category: News
Ohio politicians reject or support freedom of conscience in health care
Interviewed by the editorial board of the Toledo Blade about the federal government’s regulation that will force objecting employers to pay for insurance coverage for contraceptive and embryocidal drugs, a candidate for the nomination of the Democratic Party commented “It seems to me if we can land a man on the moon and if we can figure out how to take out Osama Bin Laden, we ought to be able to find a way to do this, where we don’t deny health coverage to any woman, and we protect religious conscience. There has to be a way to do this.” Other politicians expressed opposition to the regulation or support for it.[Toledo Blade]
Prominent Southern Baptist protests HHS mandate
Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, has praised the willingness of Catholic bishops to go to jail rather than conform to the HHS regulation requiring them to provide insurance coverage for contraceptives, surgical sterilization and embryocides. Mohler said, “[E]veryone who stands both for the sanctity of human life and for the mandate of religious liberty must express outrage in whatever form is available to us to the president of the United States.” [Associated Baptist Press]
US bishops encourage protests, promise defiance of new law
Catholic bishops in the United States are having letters are being read to their congregations to encourage protests against the Obama administration’s regulation that will force employers to pay for insurance coverage for contraceptive, and embryocidal drugs and devices. Bishop Zubick of Pittsburgh wrote that the federal government has basically told Catholics, “To hell with you!”, while Bishop Leonard P. Blair of Toledo, Ohio, stated, “We cannot – we will not – comply with this unjust law.” The Archbishop of New Orleans has also issued a letter to his congregations. However, some individuals and organizations publicly identified as Catholic are asserting their support for the new regulations, and it is reported that some of them have been providing employees with coverage for contraception for years. [Toledo Blade; Times Picayune; Christian Post]
Jewish groups warn US federal government plan harms freedom of religion
Rabbi Abba Cohen, vice president for federal government affairs and Washington director of Agudath Israel, has criticized the Obama administration’s decision to force employers to pay for contraceptive, and embryocidal drugs and devices even if they object to doing so for reasons of conscience. Nathan Diament, executive director of public policy for the Orthodox Union, expressed concern about the notion that religious belief that does not remain “insular” is not really religious belief. [JTA News; OJC News release]