This past week, some of the more unsavory parts of the Affordable Health Care Act (ObamaCare) went into effect.
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius used the occasion to trumpet Aug. 1, 2012, as “a new day for women’s health in America.”
“Thanks to the new health care law, all insurance policies will be required to cover new vital care that women need to stay healthy and they’ll have to cover the care without charging women anything out of pocket,” she said during a press conference in Washington, D.C.
These vital health services include contraceptives for birth control, abortion-inducing drugs and sterilization procedures. You might think that Sebelius considers being pregnant to be an illness.
The Republican Senate leader, Mitch McConnell, countered by calling for a vote on the repeal of ObamaCare.
His counterpart, Sen. Harry Reid, said that proposal was ridiculous because McConnell wanted the repeal attached to a cyber security bill. You might think that Reid was above attaching a totally unrelated amendment to a piece of legislation.
Matt Smith, director of Catholic Advocate, said it “will be remembered as the day our most cherished liberty was thrown in a government dumpster and hauled away. A day when family owned small businesses were forced to abandon their religious beliefs to provide certain products and services for free to comply with the HHS mandate. And if they don’t, they will be taxed and fined at a time when job creators are struggling with the costs and bureaucratic red-tape at every level of government barely allowing them to stay in business.”
This all happened on the same day that the House of Representatives voted on the District of Columbia Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act (H.R. 3803).
In the bill, Congress adopts findings that by 20 weeks after fertilization (if not earlier), the unborn child has the capacity to feel great pain. The bill prohibits abortion after that point, except when an acute physical condition endangers the life of the mother. Seven states have already enacted similar legislation, and no court orders have blocked enforcement of any of those laws.
Congress has known about the HHS mandate for the past year and has done nothing to stop it, except give lip service when members stand up on the floor of the House and Senate and proclaim to be proponents of religious liberty.
Our representatives will be home in their districts for all of August, and they will be moving around trying to elicit support for their party’s nominee. I endorse Matt Smith’s suggestion that we show up at town hall meetings or even seek out our Congress people and ask them what they will do to repeal these unconscionable aspects of ObamaCare. Where do they stand on backing up our First Amendment rights to practice our religion?
Don’t be surprised if reactions break down according to party line. Democrats will support the Health Care Bill, and Republicans will oppose it. Which means that in Brooklyn and Queens, we are in deep trouble on this issue because we are almost entirely represented by Democrats. Our religious liberty is being taken away from us and the folks robbing us are constantly being sent back to do more of the same. Time to wake up!